Just disgusted. James Joyner (proud new papa!) makes a great point about my post last night regarding DiFi’s reaction to the Panetta pick:
I couldn’t disagree more. One of the chief issues that frustrated conservatives such as John and myself had during the first six years of the Bush administration was a Republican Congress that saw itself as a rubber stamp for a president of their party.
All too true. What I dislike about the Feinstein reaction is that she did, in fact, go along with the rubber-stamping of all the Bush appointees, and she wasn’t even in the Republican party. Now, for whatever reason, she appears to be eagerly hamstringing the appointee before a hearing is even scheduled. The result, of course, is to do political damage to the incoming administration and his pick before he has ever had a chance to be questioned.
That makes no sense. If she is not impressed by Panetta after the Senate hearing, don’t vote to confirm. By all means, ask him tough questions- that would be a welcome change to the charade of the past eight years. What this looks like to me, however, is merely someone getting a little pissy because she was not consulted ahead of time. This DiFi outburst isn’t the result of a Senator seeking good governance, but someone lording over their little fiefdom, and I see no reason to cheer that kind of silliness.
demimondian
That’s not so clear to me. Ron Wyden (D-OR) says he *was* consulted beforehand. Now, that leaves two possibilities: either DiFi and/or RockinFellah were consulted and didn’t realize that — or they were face-slapped. Hard.
Personally, what I suspect happened is that Obama gave DiFi a list, and she argued against Panetta, and then was shocked to see the Obama didn’t defer to her greater expertise. If so, then I hope that Biden was also consulted, as he has even greater expertise in the broad subject matter than DiFi.
James Joyner
Fair enough. I don’t know that she was a rubber stamp on Bush appointments and think the ones you cite make more sense than Panetta to CIA. But attacking Obama’s pick right off the bat probably isn’t helpful to her cause.
demimondian
@James Joyner: She really did roll over unquestioningly at some pretty nauseating suggestions, and defended some pretty hard-to-defend Bush-administration demands.
John Cole
@James Joyner: I looked up her votes last night. She voted for everyone. Rockefeller voted no on several, and did not vote on a few.
I was too lazy to lexis-nexis press from the time, but I don’t remember her raising any fuss.
The Other Steve
John, we DEMAND that you comment on Ann Coulter being censored by the NBC Today show.
And when you do, you must post this video.
JL
Panetta is smart, organized and has the skill necessary to head the CIA. As long as he surrounds himself with experienced folks, he should be fine. It’s unfortunate the Feinstein thought it necessary to attack the selection before asking a single question. Obama taught Constitutional Law. I assume that vetting insiders was difficult.
CharlieHorse
Is there any way Harry Reid could be forced to resign?
bootlegger
Maybe Feinstein and that Rocker Feller know that they will go to jail with rest of the Bush team if an honest person in the CIA ever fingers who approved their use of torture.
passerby
Plus, about a month ago, there was this dust up regarding DiFi’s position on torture which Glen Greenwald was on like white on rice.
Now she’s chair of the Sen Intel Cmtee. This stinks.
El Cid
How long will it take these retards to figure out, if ever, that defiance of your President or Party isn’t the indicator of nobility — it’s what you do it about and for.
Who gives a sh*t in terms of some presumably noble defiance if somebody defies their party for something awful, unjust, and inexcusable?
How the hell did these f***ing fools ever convince themselves that they had the slightest bit of a f***ing clue?
That’s why these useless ass-hat "journalists" see Democrats only as admirable when they’re defying sensible, correct Democratic / liberal policies and principles in favor of Republican / conservative policies and principles.
Jerks.
John Cole
@JL: It is the insider/village mentality. There is a reason DougJ said the following the other day:
I am speculating DiFi is pissed because her ring wasn’t kissed and because someone she has massaged for ten years as they worked their way up the security apparatus will not be able to do whatever she wants. Instead, she will have to deal with someone who feels no pressure to answer to her outside her formal role in the Senate.
The Other Steve
Damn! Lost another billionare to Ditech!
Fwiffo
DiFi has been a real tool. I’d say she’s overdue for a primary challenge… Say, Larry Lessig lives in Cali…
Napoleon
Meanwhile the Republican base wants to refight the the Terry Schiavo matter.
The Grand Panjandrum
My first instinct was to praise this as a genius move because of Panetta’s managerial savvy and his relationship with Obama. But then I read this from K-Lo and had to question my own judgment and wonder if I’m not overlooking some obvious flaw in my reasoning. I just hope K-Lo is the case of a proverbial blind squirrel finding an acorn.
Napoleon
@demimondian:
There is a 3rd possibility, that they were in the middle of the consultations and had not gotten to DiFi and Rockefeller yet when the leek hit.
kay
I like the choice, a lot, for a lot of good reasons. If she doesn’t, maybe she should do her job at confirmation, and raise her concerns.
Which would be a first, for her.
Joshua Norton
Feinstein is what would have been known in another time as a "Rockefeller Republican". She’s never been comfortable in a "liberal" skin, but needs to maintain a Democratic facade to stay in the good graces of her San Francisco base. But she’s really not fooling most of us. If there ever had been a feasible Dem. opponent for her seat, she would have been history long ago.
Robin G.
DiFi rolled over again and again for the Bush administration, as did Rockefeller. It *does* look like this was a slap in the face… and I like that. If this is Obama sending a message to the Senate Dems that there’s a new boss in town and he won’t put up with the kind of hissy fits DiFi and Rockefeller are known for throwing, all the better.
They’re allowed to object all they want (and vote however they please) but if this is what it looks like, then Obama’s planning to run over the Bush apologists over like a locomotive. And that’s a good lesson for the Senate Dems to be learning — that someone in their own party *can* take them out back and slap them around like little bitches, so they’d better not just be afraid of the political consequences of displeasing Republicans.
demimondian
@Napoleon: Possible, but I’m skeptical. If I were in such a consultation — say in the corporate world — the *first* thing I’d make sure I did was take care of the person who could cause me the most trouble. Unless I intended to insult them, that is.
MikeJ
Bwaaahahahahah! Bring it on!
Everyone dates Bush’s slide in public approval from Katrina, but I think the Schiavo case, which was just a few months before that, was the beginning of the end. It was amazing how the media bent over backwards to try to make the people in that circus look sane, and yet the American public still managed to see through it.
JL
Harry is now speaking at the podium to Norm Coleman, his friend. Harry would like Norm to acknowledge that Al is the winner. Norm said fuck you.
Napoleon
@demimondian:
I am just saying its a possibility.
As to:
Let me play devil’s advocate and say that is exactly what he did and he went to the person (Wyden) whom if he was on board would make it much more difficult for the left to throw a fit like they did over that person (whose name excapes me) who Glenn Greenwald and others went off on. Maybe he figures he can live with DiFi being POed, but he wants to make sure the left is on board with the choice.
Fwiffo
Feinstein seems to be cluing in to the fact that this is a bad fight for her to pick.
Congressional Democrats are pretty much vestigial at this point, especially Senators.
wilfred the shoe throwing Norwegian
I doubt it’s ego. Feinstein’s formula is that "She’s with us on everything except the war/torture/eavesdropping". Her pique is a reminder of the calculus of the post 9/11 Democratic party, where support for traditional Demcoratic values/policies like the right to choose and childrens’ health care have become a function of tolerance for waterboarding and rendition.
Besides, if Lieberman is still around after campaigning for McCain how can anyone criticize her?
Gus
I gotta wonder if she’s afraid that she’ll be embarrassed that her complicity in torture will come to light. Otherwise, why so immediately critical?
smiley
@The Grand Panjandrum: Don’t worry, she was just asking the questions. The overall message was from “Ishmael Jones” .
I hate it when the leek hits. The scallion, not so much.
Joshua Norton
Especially if it’s still in the vichyssoise at the time.
Napoleon
@smiley:
Could have been worse then a leek hitting, it could have been fennel or even okra.
The Moar You Know
@Napoleon: I thought you were joking. What, it didn’t hurt enough last time they peed on the third rail?
Well, as someone a lot dumber than I said once, bring it on. I hope they are loud and vocal about this one. I hope they shout it to the skies.
Jeff
Greenwald made a good argument today that Obama did not want anyone near the Bush administration, including Democratic Congresswoman Jane Harmon because he did not want the taint of the past eight years on the head of the CIA. This would explain the appointment of a non-professional as well as why DiFi is pissed off. He basically told her that she stinks.
The Moar You Know
@Fwiffo: The rest of that is equally awesome. She got spanked, hard.
smiley
@Napoleon: When is an edit not an edit? When people can read what you wrote before you have a chance to edit
demimondian
@Napoleon: Oh, I got that part. Now, if you’re chairman of a major committee, and one of your junior gnats is asked his opinion, and you aren’t — what message does that send to you?
Napoleon
@The Moar You Know:
It is so dumb for them to bring it up, it is hard not to suspect that some renegade Democrats have infiltrated their side and are running an almost Nixonian rat f—king operation.
Mwangangi
yum… fried okra…
smiley
@Jeff:
I think you mean Harmon.
DarrenG
As a life-long Californian I can attest that this is vintage DiFi (known affectionately here still as "Feinswine.")
She’s always been a pure political animal more concerned with her turf and power base than accomplishing anything or supporting the agenda of her nominal party.
Obama definitely fired a shot across her bow, and she’s trying to fight back. cf Josh Marshall’s "bitch-slap theory of American politics."
Napoleon
@demimondian:
There is a big if to your senerio, and that is if that is what they intended to do. I can easily see a senerio where it just happened to work out that way. Lets say Obama happens to make his pick say 1/2 or 1/3 and that at that time DiFi was on vacation over the X-mass/NY Day week (by the way, I work with a lot of Jewish people and a huge percentage of the ones I know do that) and was unavailable/traveling whereas Wyden didn’t do that and so he was easy to get in contact with.
If this happened in the middle of a congressional session with no holidays I would likely not consider that as a possiblity, but it was at an odd time of the year where it is very likely some people were available and others were not.
Tsulagi
At first the Panetta pick, as to others, didn’t make a lot of sense to me. But this take by a former CIA field officer writing in Time magazine does.
On paper, Porter Goss, who Feinstein voted to confirm without reservation, seemed like an experienced, qualified pick. Former CIA then later congressman becoming chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
But as DCI, he took it as his mission to be Bush/Cheney’s Monica Goodling in pants at CIA. Goss gutted competence at CIA at every level in favor of Party of Bush message keeping. Intelligence that didn’t support already divined conclusions….bad, bad. Those that weren’t on message or questioned it were replaced. More than a few simply left on their own in disgust.
Goss was the most worthless DCI pick ever. Had the resume, but his judgment and competence sucked ass air. Feinstein should learn from her own experiences. Sometimes experience and resume doesn’t equal best for the job. Or did she vote McCain over Obama?
Joshua Norton
I’ll just bet she probably did.
C
You’re assuming competency and that Democrats aren’t desperately trying to make Obama just like Bush.
demimondian
@Napoleon: That would have been a total newbie mistake. If she’s the most important voice, then she should be asked first. If not, then…she’s not the most important voice.
Besides, even if you’re chair of the SSCI and on vacation, if the President calls…you pick up.
Jeff
@smiley: Thanks, I corrected it. Too many Jane H’s.
Michael D.
On another note:
BALLOON-JUICE IS GETTING ITS ASS KICKED!
pablo
Not consulting with DiFi and Rockyfeller can mean only one thing, they will be indicted along with Gonzo and Yoo! (maybe we can get H. Reid in there too).
ksmiami
I wish I could have heard Rahm’s phone call with her… I imagine it may have gone something like, "FUCKEDY FUCK FUCK FUCKER DEAD DEAD DEAD…"
Janet Strange
@MikeJ:
I’m with you on that. During the Schiavo insanity, I heard a number of people say (in that queasy trying to process cognitive dissonance tone), "I voted for Bush, but now . . . maybe I shouldn’t have . . . I mean, my gramma had a massive stroke last year and . . . died. My mom had to make some tough decisions . . . I can’t imagine if she’d had to deal with TV cameras in her face and politicians . . . " (shudder)
There were way too many R-voters for whom the Schiavo situation was too close to home, too real. Those who were outraged about Katrina had already hopped on the "I really regret voting for that asshole" bus by August ’05.
Napoleon
@demimondian:
Agreed, but that assume Obama doesn’t decide he is not going to interrupt the end of her vacation and call on the theory it can wait because he doesn’t plan to announce the pick until, say, 1/8, and that is ignoring the possibility that she was very hard to get during travel (which I just had happen to me with a client whom I basically lost the ability to contact starting 2pm EST on 12/30 through the evening of 12/31 with one small 3 hour window since he was returning from central Europe, and after factoring in time difference and when he had to go to bed and wake up, that was the only time I could talk with him short of me waking up at 2am).
Look, I am not DiFi fan and I would love to see her primaried out of office, and if Obama was doing it intentionally I would love it. The only problem is that it would run counter to everything the guy has shown us over the last few years (and in reading about him pretty much counter to everything he has shown about his character over his entire life). So I think it is simply more plausible an explanation that it was not an intentional snub. Particularly since the time of year it is, combined with the fact that a new Congress was just seated yesterday, presents a perfect opportunity for missed communication to occur.
jenniebee
wait, wait – I just want to make sure I understand this right, ok? ok, so what you’re telling me now is… Dianne Feinstein is a Democrat.
yeah, riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
Jeff
Meanwhile, I just saw this:
Fiorina vs Feinstein: A me-first business woman or me-first politician. Talk about your lesser of two evils.
Krista
And Biden chimes in:
Yes Joe, that’s EXACTLY what the situation needed right now.
Joshua Norton
Mainly because we’re up against a Mormon blog – and we all know how skillful they are at fixing elections.
ricky
As idiotic as Feinstein’s consultation objection may seem to those on the outside, it is something Obama as a former Senator should have respected. Unless of course, like Bush often claimed, he did consult leading Dem’s and they forgot after the fact. Consulting appropriate Senators is an ancient tradition. Forgetting (or denying) you were consulted is a more recent protocol among Dem Senators.
kay
Yuck. The Senate is a club, and we’re not in it. This preening display of ruffled feathers is best left behind closed doors, I think.
This is why everyone hates Congress.
ricky
Kay, you are exactly right. DiFi’s fit should have been reserved for the dining room. Biden’s apology could have been delivered with drinks at her table and Obama could have remained by the wall with his date smoking cigarettes, sipping his martini, and targeting the Chairperson with sardonic jokes to those who admired his coolness. Then even Rove would have to admit he was impressed.
cleek
i’d grab a bat and start swinging… if i knew what to swing at…
kay
@ricky:
Exactly. Letting us SEE this disgusting bruised-ego-fest is distasteful, and belies the claim of a "laser-like focus on the middle class".
Does Biden really call himself a "Senate man" ? Oh, my. It’s gonna take HOURS of bowling to undo that outburst.
ricky
Bowling? Maybe hours and hours at an "undisclosed" location which is hopefully soundproofed would be better.
Joshua Norton
Follow Micheal’s link and click on BJ in the Flash panel.
kay
@ricky:
Joe Biden is a man of the people, not a man of the Senate. That’s why he has to bowl. Honestly. Am I the only one who followed this last election? He’s from Scranton. Pennsylvania. That’s sort of in the rust belt. Or the coal belt. He used to ride in a train, too, like commuters do.
Ack, Sysadmin of Evil
@ksmiami:
But have they gotten their dead fish yet?
ricky
So make the undisclosed location a diner in Wilmington that has been closed for a decade. He can lunch on leeks and scallions. But he and Obama need to kiss DiFi’s ring once in a while and make sure they leave evidence behind in case she claims they never did.
ricky
I see elsewhere that Lady Diane has announced to her public that while dining at the club Mr. Obama has called her personally to apologize. Therefore she got to announce her ring was not kissed but now her ass has been and she is getting better. I am sure this will improve the esteem in which folks like Kay hold the Senate.
Dreggas
Oh JOY! Some want to re-litigate Schiavo over one of Obama’s picks for a sub-cabinet position…
kay
@ricky:
I think she’s losing this. She’s now reminding the press that SHE was the one who asked that the Army Field Manual language on interrogation be used in legislation.
It’s hard to be pro-torture, publicly. I don’t think this is the conversation she intended to start.
kay
I want this to be "Obama breaks with Bush on torture".
And Senator Feinstein doesn’t.
Now she has to say it’s a matter of "comity", not a policy difference, or…she’s pro-torture.
peach flavored shampoo
I’m guessing Feinstein just wants to see Panetta’s birth certificate first. To, ya know, confirm he’s been born or something.
JL
Dianne Feinstein needs to stfu. She already is sharing the stage with Rick so what else does she want.
Zifnab
Between Feinstein and Warren, its a tough call. Feinstein knows how to keep her raging homophobia in her pants, but Warren doesn’t want to firebomb half of the Middle East, so… I guess they both have their place in a new Obama Administration.
Joshua Norton
Mainly due to the fact that the White Night Riots put the fear of God in her to keep her homophobia under control.
(And the wingnutz think that a little old lady bible-thumper was "abused".)
passerby
@Jeff:
Thanks for the link Jeff:
Glenn seems to be a reasonable man.
Laura W
If I can bear the pain without liquor, I’m going to see how Tweety hyperventilates this story. A bit of R&R is dangerous for him since he is now totally incapable of allowing any person anywhere on earth to finish any sentence on any subject at any time without talking over them.
Each time he calls Leon Panetta "John Podesta", I am donating $10 to a local animal rescue org. And I’ll even go retroactive and seed the bucket with $10 for catching him doing this with Nora O’D in the 4:00 hour. (I was in the kitchen, but my hearing is good, so I am confident I owe Friends For Life sanctuary $10 so far.)
Too bad I’m on the wagon. This would make an awesome drinking game.
passerby
Good point Krista,
Free-floating entitlement. And while good communication between the branches of government is smart, Biden illustrates how he still suffers the effects of belonging to the US Senate Elite Club.
" I’m still a Senate man". Who talks like this?
Way to support your President Elect, Joe.
Joshua Norton
He should also try the Men’s Hair Club since his plugs have pretty much given up the ghost.
/snark
peach flavored shampoo
Y’all see than Norman Coleman is suing for a recount? Gunna keep this stuff in courts until summer, probably. Nice democratic process up there in Minnesota, Norm.
If I’m a Minnesota voter, I never vote for a R again, ever. Sorest, sorriest losers I’ve ever seen.
Glocksman
Let’s see here.
Dianne Feinstein opposes Panetta.
Russell Feingold supports Panetta.
Hmmm…..now which Senator has a demonstrated a strong commitment to civil liberties throughout his career and which one has not?
Gotta go with ol’ Russ on this one.
demimondian
@peach flavored shampoo: Just watch what happens next time, then.
Dino "Sore" Rossi ran against Gregoire this time under the slogan "Don’t let Seattle steal the election again."
passerby
Free-floating entitlement. And while good communication between the branches of government is smart, Biden illustrates how he still suffers the effects of belonging to the US Senate Elite Club.
" I’m still a Senate man". Who talks like this?
Way to support your President Elect, Joe.
On second thought, Obama needs Biden to nurture his ties in the Senate for future dealings. Even though Biden will fire off into any microphone in a four foot radius, he appears to be aware that he has to continue to kiss the rings of his former, fellow eliters in the senate so as not to lose those ties.
So, I’ll give him a pass on this one.
Reverend Dennis
Speaking as someone who lets go of a grudge only after it has claw marks running over its entire length, I still remember Feinstein escorting Condi Rice arm-in-arm to her Senate confirmation hearing for Secretary of State. To me, that spoke volumes about both Feinstein’s judgment and her politics.
Joshua Norton
I’ve been trying to suppress that image – with very little success. Too bad she doesn’t extend another fellow Californian (i.e. Panetta) the same courtesy. Especially since he’s on OUR side.
JLW
A note from a California constituent of both Leon Panetta’s and Diane Feinstein’s. Feinstein has long seen Panetta as a threat to her in-state political ambitions, though I don’t remember ever seeing or hearing that he did anything to support that belief. I covered Panetta as a public radio reporter before and after he left the Clinton admin. There was some local pressure for him to run for governor (a position Feinstein has long coveted) but he never rose to the bait, saying he didn’t have a statewide base. It doesn’t surprise me that Feinstein would resist anything having to do with Panetta.
priscianus jr
I guess he should have said "I’m still a senate person."
Reverend Dennis
@JLW:
Thank you for providing an additional slant on this story. After reading your comment I’d suspect that Feinstein’s ambition to become Queen of California have as much to do with her opposition to Panetta as the certainty that she’ll be found to have signed off on torture by the CIA.
The second will undo the first.
Joe Buck
DiFi is implicated. Exposure of what went on in intelligence during the Bush years would reveal, I’m pretty sure, that DiFi and Jay Rockefeller knew about the horrors and signed off on them (at least, enough of them to be deeply embarrassing). She wants a member of the club in charge so that nothing will change.
kay
@Joe Buck:
I agree. I’m pleased, though. I think her tactic failed. It’s a really good sign when she’s insisting it isn’t about policy. Or, um, torture. Because she opposes torture, right?
kay
"I think what you’re also going to see is a team that is committed to breaking with some of the past practices and concerns that have, I think, tarnished the reputation of the agencies, the intelligence agencies as well as U.S. foreign policy…."
That’s Obama. That’s how I want him to set it up, too. That Panetta’s detractors don’t want to break with past practice.
hamletta
Bloody Welshmen. Hairy bastards, all of ’em.
demimondian
@hamletta: If the leek hits, pare it.
OriGuy
Ham with leek soup for dinner tonight, yum.
maya
Ee rack war bin berry, berry, good to Dick and me. HRH DiFi
bago
Mario was a bastard. He’d hit you with leeks and turnips. Even your own eggs!
Shawn in ShowMe
The fighting boy from Scranton said before the election that his VP duties included being a liaison to the Senate. If he has to smooth the feathers that Obama ruffles from time to time, so be it. You gotta go with the Senate you have.
Hob
@Napoleon:
"Iranian and Afghani Jews bring home the themes of oppression, freedom and redemption by beating each other with leeks on their backs and shoulders as they sing the refrain ‘Dayenu.’"
Not just an Iranian and Afghani thing either, if you’ve ever been to a San Francisco seder full of kinky types.
Onihanzo
Holy hell this is hilarious.
Neener, neener, Harry. That’ll school ya to ever mess with Teh DiFi!!
Delia
@demimondian:
It’s times like these that I love Oregon. And now that Gordy "Frozen Pea" Smith is gone, I love it even more.
demimondian
@Delia: I love the fact every single senator from the Pacific Coast states is a Dem now. (Alaska doesn’t count, Pooh.)