Rage erupts over profiteering clause (The Hill)

[BadGimp]

Rage erupts over profiteering clause
Iraq supplemental justified, says GOP
By Klaus Marre

A decision by the House Republicans to strip the Iraq supplemental bill of an anti-profiteering provision has outraged the Democrats.

Some Democrats have accused the White House of pulling the strings on the effort to nix the language.

“The White House and House GOP leadership didn’t want in there,” charged Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), an author of the language.

The provision — included during the Senate Appropriations Committee markup with unanimous support but removed in conference — would have subjected those who deliberately defrauded the United States or Iraq to jail terms of up to 20 years and costly fines.

Leahy said that, privately, some Republicans told him they though it was a good provision.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), another author of the profiteering provision, called it “shocking” that it was taken out. “Why?” Feinstein asked. “It was a good amendment.”

A Senate Democratic aide said, “Several House Republican conferees were clearly empathetic, but they had to look to a higher authority. That higher authority was the White House, which had sent the marching order to strip this from the bill.”

http://www.thehill.com/news/110503/profiteering.aspx
======================================================

no surprise of course, but I just can't believe the audacity of the Repiglicans...

This is so disgusting and evil.

[denverbill]

1. That should make for some good TV ads next year.

"The administration doesn't mind sending your kids to die in Iraq, as long as war profiteers aren't prosecuted."

[w4rma]

5. Dems have so much good material it's tough to pick what to use

Too much material and not enough money to advertise it.

[wellst0nev0ter]

8. And Unlike Repuke Attack Ads

Our will actually be true.

[knowledgeispower]

11. Yeah but the Repukes will scream "partisan politics"

And the fucking retarded American public will eat it up. Oh well, they are gonna get what they deserve.

[acmavm]

16. Who cares what the repubs say? They have made a "fine art" out of

partisan politics. Screw them, it's time to play the game the way they play it. I'm not saying by telling lies and pulling dirty tricks, so I don't want anyone to get their shorts in a bunch. But I do mean that it is way past the time anyone in the democratic party stopped worrying about what the opposition says. Because truth be told, they'll say anything, it will always be negative, and there is no way to avoid it.

[progressiverealist]

37. Exactly. The repugs kick, bite, scratch,

and then cry "foul" the moment we fight back.

Well fark them, I say. Time to reap what you sow.

[BuckeFushe]

24. LOTS of meat

Free Trade/Jobs going overseas/The Economy/Unemployment/WMD lies/9-11 lies/Americans dying in Iraq/No hope of support of the UN in Iraq/Energy Deregulation causing blackouts/The Patriot Act/the re-occupation of America/shock and awe applied to the enviornment="MISSION UNACCOMPLISHED"

[joeunderdog]

26. Nov. 3 cover of News Week said it all:

Bush's $87Billion Mess
Special Investigation:
Waste, Chaos, and Cronyism:
The Reall Cost of Rebuilding Iraq

[bushisanidiot]

2. I Can't Believe Rove Allows This Stuff To Happen. Obviously, AWOL is

being protected from having to do time when the sh*t finally hits the fan.

[bushisanidiot]

3. I Can't Believe Rove Allows This Stuff To Happen. Obviously, AWOL is

being protected from having to do time when the sh*t finally hits the fan.

[Dhalgren]

4. This should be huge news!

I wonder if it will be? Or will this be ignored by the media as so much else is?

[1songbird]

19. "If there was ever a need for fair and balanced media it's now."

[montanacowboy]

6. Rage?

Ha! do the dems know what rage is? this is just one more GOP steam roller crunching them further into oblivion. Nothing they do or say or feign to do or say really has any bearing on anything except giving lip service. I think a total housecleaning is in order from pink tutu Daschle on down the line.

[aquart]

21. Yep.

They're raging? But how did they vote?

[wryter2000]

7. DiFi

DiFi is shocked and appalled. How could the White House and the House republicans act like this? She trusted them to tell her the truth about WMD's and do the right thing for the people of the United States. How could they do this? How, how, how????

</sarcasm>

[Sideways]

22. DiFi Time To Get Your Helm...Err Hair Done

:wtf: Who cares what DiFi thinks. She is as stupid as a dirt taco. Why the fuck she is a senator is just beyond my fucking grasp.

My Callie brethren please let's kick this dimwit fuckwittage out of office. Bad policies, Bad hair, Bad Bad Bad.

Did I mention BAD?

[knowledgeispower]

9. This is absolutely appalling

Fucking criminals is all they are. This administration makes Nixon look like a fucking Saint. If there was any justice in the world these bastards would be arrested and forced into service over in Iraq...in the Sunni triangle of course so they can see what its like to have the Iraqi's "throwing flowers at you" while the likes of Halliburton and Bechtel get fat off it. Fucking disgusting.

[lovedems]

10. I am beginning to believe that the "bad news war" doesn't really

bother this administration. As long as the war is dominating the news (good or bad) they will be allowed to get away with this with little public scrutiny.

Halliburton must be guilty of an awful lot if the evil GOP wanted the clause taken out. The lengths this misadministration will go to, to protect their friends is absolutely unbelievable.

[tridim]

12. Question: Isn't war profiteering illegal?

I completely understand why the Dems tried to get the provision in the bill, but does it even matter in the grand scheme? Halliburton, et al are still breaking the law and can still be prosecuted. Am I wrong?

[DuctapeFatwa]

14. So is detaining people indefinitely without charges, "legal" means

"I have more and bigger guns than you."

[hang a left]

15. I don't know, but it is a damn good question. Hope someone

will answer it.

[Rose Siding]

13. Feinstein's speaking out on it

That's very good because her husband is at a company that gets govt contracts. She SHOULD speak out against profiteering. Actually, I'd have liked her to throw herself down on the Senate floor in abject opposition to profiteering but speaking out is good.

[pansypoo53219]

17. maybe we need to remind the amerucan public

of Truman's post WW2 plans.
NO WAR PROFITEERING!
TRUMAN SAID NO TO RAPE AND PILLAGE

george, putting the $ in the Bu$hes.

[DrBB]

18. The Hill seems to be offline

Anyone else running into this? Tried to link to the Josh Marshall piece a few minutes ago--bad link, I thought. Googled "The Hill" and the first entry is the homepage. Hit the link, and I get "there is no resource at this address." The link at the top of this thread just stalls. Hope it's nothing serious.

[The Backlash Cometh]

20. Republicans ARE War Profiteers.

It would make a great bumper sticker. Add the housebill number.

[hedda_foil]

23. War Profiteering is the Bush family business.

They've been at it for four generations, since World War I. It's all they do and they're very, very good at it.

[glitch]

28. not quite all

Bank, insurance, securities fraud, among other crimes. http://www.motherjones.com/news_wire/bushboys.html
American media is good at ignoring the Bush family criminals.

[Barrett808]

29. War profiteering is what the illegal invasion/occupation is about

The First Crime Family couldn't let a little amendment get in the way.

[Flubadubya]

32. My thoughts precisely...

They certainly can't have such language in this bill. It would defeat their entire mercinary agenda.

Sheez, how corrupt can this bunch get? It's just amazing how they are so out front, blatant, and arrogant about it all... yet they continue to get away with it EVERY TIME!

[SpyHunter]

25. I can not believe they did that

You know I have been alive for a long time and I can't believe that these people would do such a thing. It is repulsive total obtrusive and utterly wrong. I hope someday that this type of behavior is stymed before too late.

[newyawker99]

27. Hi SpyHunter!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[mopinko]

30. thanks to the lowdowners

winners of last years contest in the hightower lowdown to invent adequate words to "describe the perifdy of corporations that use old glory to disguise their looting"

grabbiteurs
profiteerists
vulture capitalists
corporados
corporats
terrortuntists
pillage idiots
sleaze whiz

[aquart]

34. "Vulture capitalists" and "terrortunists" are my favorites.

Grabbiteurs is nice, too.

[bspence]

31. White House: No Comment

Their silence speaks volumes, although nobody but us will listen.

We need to get this message OUT THERE!!

[Judi Lynn]

33. Two GOP dirtbags were highly visible during this abortion

From the article:

However, in conference, House Republicans spurned any compromises. Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) said he was “uneasy” about adding this kind of criminal law without input from the White House and the Department of Justice.

House Appropriations Committee spokesman John Scofield said other reasons for rejecting the provision included that it would have also applied to international assistance and that it did not define what constitutes “excessive profiteering.”

I CANNOT believe this. How brazen can these lapsed humans get?

[sendero]

39. how about...

>>>>House Appropriations Committee spokesman John Scofield said other reasons for rejecting the provision included that it would have also applied to international assistance and that it did not define what constitutes “excessive profiteering.”


Excessive? How about more than $1 US?

[chromotone]

35. La vita dolce...

Let me see it I have this right...

1. Grants, instead of loans, so Halliburton et al can get their cash up front and not worry about, or be saddled with, payments.

2. No anti-profiteering laws to worry about so when caught "deliberately defrauding the United States or Iraq," the offenders will get "Enron justice," which means someone will wag his finger and chant, "No, no, no!"

What a sweet deal!

[ronatchig]

36. This along with ICC fears

shows in no uncertain terms that Bushco fully understands how illegal their actions are. Their ace in the hole is the American media(read corporate whores) whichis batting a 1000% in protecting this criminal junta.
Imho the time is right for mass pampleteering on every streetcorner in America with some good hairy necked teamsters around for some freeper indoctrination.
One wonders if these fools have ever heard of the French revolution and the red death.

[9215]

38. This is the simple minded shit

that this specie wallows in:

A Senate Democratic aide said, “Several House Republican conferees were clearly empathetic, but they had to look to a higher authority. That higher authority was the White House, which had sent the marching order to strip this from the bill.”

This goddamn stupid fucking "aide" still thinks that these vile reptilian slime can empathize?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

These motherfuckers cannot EMPATHIZE with anything. They are telling us that they are going to profiteer and YOU JOHN AND JENNY Q CITIZEN BETTER LEARN TO BEND OVER FASTER AND SMILE WIDER WITH BOTH SETS OF CHEEKS WHEN WE ARE DONE.

Who the fuck could be so goddamn stupid!!!???


Fuck this specie. Let's get it overwith!! Fuck voting, fuck politics

FUCK YOU....... EVERY GODDAMN ONE OF YOU GUTLESS FUCKS!!!!!!!

WHY DON'T YOU JUST QUIT AND SAVE THE TAXPAYER YOUR FUCKING $200,000/YEAR SALARIES. And all this clamoring and whistle-blowing cheerleading shit at election time!! There is nothing to smile about you pathetic assholes, so quit doing it!!

Goddamn worthless meaningless intrique, that is all this process is.

[truthisfreedom]

40. what laws protect us against war profiteering now?

don't we already have some laws?

[alfredo]

41. I just sent this out to my mailing list and posted it on other BBS

I hope you will too.