Byrd vs. Bush (Interview)

[kskiska]

Sen. Robert Byrd blasts fellow senators for believing "the garbage that was being spewed out by the administration" on Iraq, and thanks the airline passengers who "died to save this Capitol, my life and my staff."

(snip)

How effective do you believe the Senate Democratic leadership has been in confronting the Bush administration?
It has tried. But I don't think that we can be in session three days a week and be very effective in confronting the administration, as we can be and as we ought to be in this branch of government. We don't ask enough questions. We didn't in the run-up to the war. The Senate was silent. And having come to the Senate when I did, and having seen and heard and worked with the type of senators who were here, when I compare that in my own mind with our virtual cowardice about the war, the buildup to it, I'm very disappointed. I'm chagrined.

Couldn't the Democrats force the Senate to meet more often? Ask more questions? Be more confrontational? Or do Democratic senators, like lawmakers in both parties and chambers, not want to give up their comfortable three-day workweeks?
They have rules in the Senate, and they could ask more questions.

Why don't they?
I wonder myself. In respect to the greatest question that has come before this Senate in my lifetime -- or at least during my career, which extends over a half century -- we failed.

You're talking about the war?
The war, yes. We failed. We relegated ourselves to the sidelines. How many times? How many times did I hear the words , "Let's get this thing behind us. Let's talk about something else. It would be better for us in the election if we changed the subject."

This "thing" being the war resolution?
The war resolution, yes. We had our little meetings. We talked about those things very little in the conferences. When it came to the run-up to the war in the last few days, the silence was deadening.

more…
http://salon.com/news/feature/2004/07/24/senator_byrd/index.html

[latebloomer]

1. Damning

not just of Bush, but of the Dems.

[FloridaPat]

2. 3 day work week!!! These guys get around $90,000 a year

(I think) and tons of vacation and they're only putting in 3 days a week? Is it too late to run for senator this year?

[DieboldMustDie]

3. Actually they got $154,700 in 2003...

I can't seem to find this year's figure, but it's probably pretty close close to $160,000. :shrug: