Kerry's DSM Letter - What's the next Step?

[NightOwwl]

What is the next step now that the letter has been sent to the Senate Intelligence Committee? Does the Committee have to acknowledge the letter? Is there a vote to decide if there will be an investigation?

I'm trying to understand what makes John Kerry's letter different from those submitted by John Conyers, which requested inquiries into everything from voting reform to Jeff Gannon.

Does the letter actually have a chance of picking up steam, or will it end up in File 13 like the others before it?

[Independent_Liberal]

1. I don't know what the next step is, but...

I can hardly wait to find out!

[NightOwwl]

2. It's gonna be huger than huge!

Bigger than big!

Greater than great!

Ya think?

[Independent_Liberal]

5. Yep

I think!

[Capn Sunshine]

6. Why, it's Johnmentum!

saints preserve us!
This is overwhelming in it big hugeness!

[Paranoid Pessimist]

26. The next step would be: a Mainstream Media sound byte

Letters are all well and good, but in today's world, if it doesn't appear on TV, it doesn't count for anything. It's nice of Senator Kerry to write a letter, but to me it seems like something done just to say that he did something "see, I wrote this letter."

[Eloriel]

3. There IS no next step

No one has to respond, and no one has to do a damn thing about it. And I'm pretty sure Mr. Kerry understands that full well. So he "looks good" making a big "harumph" sound aimed toward the Intelligence Committee, and then can go blithely on about his business, whatever that is.

IOW: useless gesture.

:eyes:

[NightOwwl]

4. I am Shocked, Shocked I tells ya!

:eyes:

[fedupinBushcountry]

8. Whoa

Yes now what did I hear Dean saying on the topic, zilch, nadda,not one mention of DSM on the DNC site, not one iota of support on his recent "looks good" appearances on TV.

Go back to sleep, but please make sure you wake up again when you see Kerry's name in a post, you are very good at not IGNORING that. :argh:

[LittleClarkie]

12. I'm hoping you'll need salt with those words later

But even if something comes of it, I'm not sure you'll notice. You'll suggest that it was Conyers, or Dean or something else that got things moving. Or us.

Oh, wait. It won't be us. Because it's a useless gesture. So let's not call our Senators or anything. Let's not push this thing. It's useless. And it's John Kerry. Who the fuck cares what he's doing anyway. I wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire. He's just showing off. I'll never support anything that assclown is doing. He's jumping on the bandwagon you know. That one person bandwagon.

I'm surprised that Conyers even acknowleged the letter. Or Bonifaz. Don't they know it's useless? Another nail in the coffin my ass

Doesn't Conyers know that Kerry's just trying to steal his thunder? Wouldn't he rather be the lone person banging the drum on this issue. Then he could have ALL the glory when it comes to fruition. And we could give him kudos.

This way, if something happens, we'll have to give that Kerry person kudoes as well. Who wants that. I'd rather nothing happened than to have to say something nice about that glory hound.

Or I can also just say it was somebody else working behind the scenes that finally made everything break. That way, I won't even have to acknowlege that flip flopping windsurfing IWR voting elist fool.

:sarcasm:

[Mass]

13. So should we criticize these 10 senators because they did something.

OK, let's blame the 9 other ones as well in this case.

[FreedomAngel82]

18. IF they do something

it'll be to their benefit. Kerry won't get any recognition from it at all. The republicans will eventually go against Bush (I think it's starting) and they'll get all the glory for stopping the war and the evil Bush and gang and will get more seats in 2008 and they'll find SOME way to blame us "evil liberals/democrats". If they do anything it'll be after the midterms.

[fedupinBushcountry]

21. Oh the optimism

:sarcasm:

[Island Blue]

23. Yeah, I'm pretty sure Kerry has spent 20+ years

in the Senate just so he can "look good". Have you ever considered that maybe the man understands how the Senate works and he's going about this the correct way? If he wanted to make a "big harumph sound" perhaps he should just go on TV and scream about it. I'm sure that would accomplish so much more. :sarcasm:

[Zensea]

24. Unfortunately, I think you're right

In real politics, as opposed to fantasy politics the chances of the DSM doing much are slim the more I think about it.
It's not that people in power don't realize the significance of it, but that they DO realize the significance.
They may well be impeachable offenses, but the problem is that once that process got rolling, where would it stop? With Cheney, with Rumsfeld, with Rice, with Gonzales....?
For that reason I doubt they will let it get started.

Far too dangerous.

I'm beginning to think the ballot box is going to be the only method of accountability on this one.

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jillan]

7. Every day we need to email these two:

http://roberts.senate.gov/e-mail_pat.html

after all this is his statement
Intelligence Committee Chairman



"As Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, my job is to ensure that our Intelligence Community has the ability to protect the nation from threats at home and abroad. It is my goal to see that our intelligence agencies have cutting-edge collection capabilities and perform accurate analysis of intelligence information so that we can win the war on terrorism."

and - from our side:


http://rockefeller.senate.gov/services/email.cfm


It's up to us to keep the fire going.

[fedupinBushcountry]

10. You are so right

Members of Intelligence Committee (Democrat)

Rockefeller, Jay (WV), Vice Chairman
Levin, Carl (MI)
Feinstein, Dianne (CA)
Wyden, Ron (OR)
Bayh, Evan (IN)
Mikulski, Barbara (MD)
Corzine, Jon (NJ)
Reid, Harry (NV), Ex Officio

Members of Intelligence Committee (Republican)

Roberts, Pat (KS) , Chairman
Hatch, Orrin (UT)
DeWine, Mike (OH)
Bond, Christopher (MO)
Lott, Trent (MS)
Snowe, Olympia (ME)
Hagel, Chuck (NE)
Chambliss, Saxby (GA)
Warner, John (VA) , Ex Officio
Frist, Bill (TN) , Ex Officio


Members of Intelligence Committee who voted against the IWR.

Corzine-has stepped up to the plate.

Levin -has NOT stepped up.

Wyden-has NOT stepped up

Mikulski-has NOT stepped up

[jillan]

17. Ok - you and me - we keep this bumped?!!

Maybe give it till Wed?
Post the email address of the members and ask all DU-ers to get busy asking why Kerry's letter hasn't been answered yet?

[NightOwwl]

20. Thank you for this list. n/t

[kerrygoddess]

27. I agree... they are the key targets.

We will also need to pressure all the other Dems as well. I would suggest that the Ranking Members of the following committees might be of good influence as well:

Judiciary: Patrick J. Leahy
Homeland Security: Joseph I. Lieberman
Foriegn Relations: Joe Biden
Armed Services: Carl Levin
Appropriations: Robert Byrd
Budget: Kent Conrad
Veterans Affairs: Daniel Akaka

[Coexist]

9. Contact the Dems who didn't sign and ask them to support Kerry

Write LTTE of major papers and ask them to cover the possible Senate investigation.

[Mass]

11. The democrats in the Senate can force a real investigation

with subponae powers even if the Republicans refuse.

For that, 5 senators the Intelligence Committee (dems or republicans) must make the request.

At this point, the only one having signed the Senators' letter is Corzine, so there is a long way to go, but this is a beginning.

My main question is why so few senators signed the letter.

In addition these 10 senators (Kerry is not alone in this) are the only ones in the senate to have done something. Is it not worth being noticed?

[rox63]

14. Here's what makes his letter different

It requests that they follow through on an investigation that was already supposed to have taken place, and it's addressed to the Senate committee that would be in charge of that investigation. It only takes 5 members of that committee to start the investigation rolling, and there are more than 5 Dems on the committee. One of the signers of the letter is on the committee.

I would suggest to everyone here who has a Dem Senator that didn't sign Kerry's letter, start bugging your Senator to sign onto it after the fact, and to push for the investigation.

[NightOwwl]

19. If Kerry's letter gives the Dems in the Senate...

the power to start an investigation, there is no excuse for them not to move forward.

[zulchzulu]

15. Use Chimpy's Playbook: Repeat! Repeat! Repeat! Repeat!

The only way is for JK to get on all the Sunday shows next week with Boxer and a few other signatories. Get on 60 Minutes. Offer to go on the Morning News Shows.

Get the DNC to do a national radio ad.

Write LTTEs with the content of the letter in it.

We are the Cavalry...don't wait for one.

[LittleClarkie]

16. Even if you don't think so

move as if you do.

Call you Senators (unless they've already signed.) Hell, call them all.

Keep up the pressure. Neither of mine signed, and I've got a bone to pick with Feingold in particular.

The worst thing we could do right now is just spectate and denegrate positive action because it's coming from someone we aren't thrilled with. Jump on board for all you're worth.

Hell, even if it were Hillary I'd be on board. And I don't even like the woman.

Put pressure on the committee decision makers, Roberts and Rockefeller.

The last thing we need right now is a defeatist attitude.Go, go, go. As Gandi said, what we do may seem small, but it is important that we do it.

[Capn Sunshine]

22. All sarcasm aside

you're right of course.

But I can't help thinking of the line in Animal House:

Otter:......I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part.
Bluto: We're just the guys to do it.
D-Day: Let's do it.
Bluto: LET'S DO IT!


LETS DO IT!!!!!