I recently had the pleasure of participating with several bloggers on a conference call with Missouri Senator Kit Bond.
http://bond.senate.gov/public/
Senator Bond is very serious about national security, yet what I did not know about him before the conference is what a great sense of humor he has. He effortlessly moved back and forth between vital matters and lighthearted moments depending on the question being asked.
With that, I present some remarks from Senator Kit Bond.
“Our national security policy is in disarray. Everything being done is about politics. The other side closed Gitmo. They released the CIA memos. They released photos of detainee abuse. Yet the one thing they won’t release is what they actually plan to do to protect us. The question should be, what exactly is this administration’s policy?”
“As for the memos they released, this is not cherry-picking season in Washington. They should release the memos honestly, showing that what we did worked.”
“President Obama has so demoralized the CIA that they are now known as the CYA.”
“The CIA wants to know, does President Obama have their back, or does he want to stab them in the back?”
“Our agents don’t know what they can do. The detainees know that we can’t use harsh techniques.”
“How many of you actually believe that Nancy Pelosi and the other top Democrats had no idea what was going on? The Gang of Four on the Intelligence Committee include the majority and minority leadership.”
“Jay Rockefeller and Nancy Pelosi were briefed by the CIA. We gave the CIA funding. The 2006 authorization bill required that more information about what methods were being used be given.”
“By a vote of 15-0, Jay Rockefeller and Carl Levin supported the high value program.”
“Speaker Pelosi could have altered the CIA budget. She could have ordered a closed session of Congress. She could have written a letter. She did none of those things.”
“What is the administration going to do to protect us?”
“All they want to do is prosecute the last administration. This is not the time for looking backward.”
“The Democrats’ plan can be summed up in a couple of words…’beats me.'”
“Their strategy is ready, fire, aim. They closed Gitmo, but have no idea what to do with the combatants there.”
“They are reversing the progress made under President George W. Bush. He kept us safe for 7 1/2 years after 9/11. He took action after years of doing nothing. Nothing was done after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Nothing was done after the bombing of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Nothing was done after the U.S.S. Cole bombing. Finally, President Bush did something. Now we have no policy at all.”
“The Democrats won the election. They have the ball. What will they do?”
“I hope and pray that there is not another attack.”
“These are not white collar criminals we are fighting. They are deadly combatants.”
“I talked to Attorney General Eric Holder. I told him it was very bad policy to release the memos.”
“Carl Levin said that Washington authorized the Abu Gharaib behavior. This nonsense has to stop. Senator Levin said that the issue was bipartisan. That is not the case.”
Senator Bond was asked about what he thought of Al Gore’s recent speech on environmental issues. Senator Bond, very quick with a quip, responded, “When Al Gore spoke, I was busy sorting my sock drawer.”
With regards to Gitmo detainees, Senator Bond did not hold back, stating that “The ACLU was the driving force behind their release.”
While I completely agree with Senator Bond on issues of politics and policy, nobody is perfect. When the conversation switched to sports, I came close to recommending his impeachment. He would probably be a fun guy to watch a ballgame with, but on football issues I am right and he is wrong.
“The St. Louis Cardinals had a tough day yesterday. I was having dinner with George Will when Albert Pujols hit a grand slam. George is the country’s number one Cubs fan. It was tough.”
Various bloggers asked various questions, but some real lighthearted banter occurred when one of the bloggers mentioned that they were reporting from the East Bay in California. The blogger had a concern.
I opened up my mouth and said, “Your problem should be worrying about the Raiders and their draft picks.”
I expressed my fandom of the Raiders as well before telling the Senator that “I live in the People’s Republican of California.”
The Senator was not empathetic, nor should he be. I continued.
“I live here for the weather, which is the only thing that left hasn’t taxed yet…”
Senator Bond is lightning quick, and he interjected.
“Actually they have, it’s called cap and trade. It is coming soon. Cap and trade is coming, and that is a huge tax increase. By the way, I just realized that I cut you off. I need to let you ask your question.”
Everybody on the call laughed, and Senator Bond was just getting warmed up. The guy is genuinely funny. I continued.
“Can we just release the Gitmo detainees into Nancy Pelosi’s district in San Francisco? Also, how soon do you think it will be before the government there insists on giving the Gitmo detainees the right to gay marriages?”
The Senator laughed, and fired back with the one line that should never be crossed with me.
“We should send them to Alcatraz. Speaking of Alcatraz, you brought up the Raiders. Being from Missouri, I am a Chiefs fan. I can tell you about Raider fans.”
There was laughter all around with his remark and my retort.
“I will show deference only because you are a sitting Senator, but we disagree.”
The Senator had the last word.
“Well then later on today, call my office about the issue, and I will have you directed to a staff member that actually gives a d@mn.”
Senators are not supposed to be so sharp toungued, but when the conversation turns to football, there is no middle ground. There is good and evil, and evil must be destroyed. The problem is the Senator thinks that the Raiders are the problem, whereas obviously it is the Chiefs at fault in that rivalry.
Senator Bond and I do not agree on football, but in terms of what is right for our country, Senator Bond gets it. America and the Republican Party is lucky to have his distinguished service. It was a pleasure to speak with him.
eric
“The question should be, what exactly is this administration’s policy?””
Obama is clueless on this front. This is why we see him maintaining almost all of Bushs security policies. Any policy of his own doing reflects this in the stark contrast we see between the previous policies and his.
On one hand he wants to do one thing to appease the far left anti war crowd yet he doesnt want the rap if worse come to worse.
Most of the things we see him doing are just posturing at the expense of our safety while he leaves in place what he knows works.
As long as we have Baghram AFB in Afghanistan and renditions, closing Gitmo and banning torture means nothing.
Once he finds out that the only answer to Pakistan is for us to move in theres gonna be some policy going on that we probably wont hear about for 10 years down the road.
As much as I dislike the man I have some faith that the threat of al Queda or the Taliban having nuclear weapons will lead him to do whatever needs to be done and stop this foolish concern over what we look like and what others think of us.
Those that supposedly dont like our image are going to the first target should these lunatics get ahold of these weapons. Yea, Europe, you know who you are. Thats right, you’ll be the first ones in the cross hairs baby.
Wise up.
Just in case Senator Bond is curious, I think this is the way most thinking see things…
“…what exactly is this administration’s policy?”
It appears President Obama hasn’t diveregerd things all that much from his predecessor when it comes to the physical security of the nation itself. As far as I know, “fast tracking,” the Bush-approved method by which young Saudi men can enter the US and fly planes into our buildings, remains unchanged. On the foreign policy front, we remain close allies with the Arabian monarchies that Al Qaeda, and the Arab Street, so despise. Our colonial military empire remains the same. So Kit Bond has a point, he was just really, really late coming around to making it.
“As for the memos they released, this is not cherry-picking season in Washington. They should release the memos honestly, showing that what we did worked.”
I agree, we should see ALL the work product from the Bush period regarding the desecration of our values and the breaking of our treaties. It’s good to see he’s apparently come around to that – and in only a few minutes!
“President Obama has so demoralized the CIA that they are now known as the CYA.”
“The CIA wants to know, does President Obama have their back, or does he want to stab them in the back?”
When Obama introduced himself formally as president to the CIA, he received a standing ovation the likes of which we haven’t seen for probably ever. He is very popular in the agency, from all accounts I know of, and the CIA’s morale problem from the Bush era appears to be finally resolving. Kit Bond sounds foolishly dishonest here.
“Our agents don’t know what they can do. The detainees know that we can’t use harsh techniques.”
Apparently that’s not nearly the big deal pandering jingoists like Bond make it out to be.
“How many of you actually believe that Nancy Pelosi and the other top Democrats had no idea what was going on? The Gang of Four on the Intelligence Committee include the majority and minority leadership.”
That’s the constitution for ya’, Kit ol’ boy. Perhaps we should just finally surrender to the British and give up on that useless rag, huh Se. Bond?
“What is the administration going to do to protect us?”
The biggest difference between this administraion and the last, when itt comes to this question, seems to be that the Obama adminstration intends to be well-regarded among our friends and allies. Aside from that, it seems to be the status quo. Does Bond not recall the status quo? I would suggest Aricept for his memory deficit.
“All they want to do is prosecute the last administration. This is not the time for looking backward.”
Actually, it seems to be just the opposite. The Obama adminstration has been avoiding such prosecutions, despite heavy pressure from some groups, who do have good reasons, to hold the Bush administration accountable for their misdeeds. Again, Kit Bond sounds foolishly dishonest here.
I’m going to stop this here because it’s just getting childish.
Why didn’t any of you at this “conference all” just get up and say, “C’mon Senator! Let’s get real! We’re grown-up’s, ya’ know! This isn’t a bunch of disaffected white drunks watching Hannity’s America here! Stop with the cheap, dumb sound-bytes and give us some real substance! Heck, THIS is why our party is wrecked and totalled right now! We have got to stop this endless, cheap, pandering, lowbrow, dishonest, useless politicing and get to the real meat of the matters for once and for all or we’re going to be the minority party for America’s white anti-intellectuals, bigots, and screwballs for generations to come! There ARE republicans out there who aren’t stupid hicks easily sated by patriotic slogans, jingoistic military worship, government bashing, xenophobia, and the same ol’ stale rhetoric from 60 years ago! It’s time to modernize, substantiate and raise the collective intelligence of the party!”
I mean, if THIS is the kind of stuff you guys talk about on “conference calls,” no wonder the public rhetoric is so pathetic! If you want more people to vote GOP in the future, you have to offer something more than just the same stupid, nasty, useless, pre-school name-calling. Americans are wising up. It’s time the GOP did as well. I for one do not want to get stuck with yet another one-party state for the foreseeable future. But the GOP has to bring something new to the table, or that one-party state is exactly what we’re going to have. Your tent has gotten so small, the Brokeback Mountain guys couldn’t even have sex in it! You’ve lost so many members in the Northeast, West, and Mountain West, you may as well just change your name to the Confederate Party and be done with it! And all this endless FEAR MONGERING! When are you gonna knock it off with that stupid stupid stupid stupid FEAR MONGERING! You will NEVER rid the world of ever ypossible threat to every person in it! Get over it! Obama will do the same thing every president does and try his best to keep us safe. We can’t spend 100% of the GDP on defense! The GOP would wreck the country the same way the Soviets wrecked themselves – militarily spending themselves to death! You will NEVER make the world a perfect place! You will NEVER rid the world of every terrorist, militant, lunatic killer, ever ysingle threat that’s out there! Grow up, move on! There’s more to life than just fear of death!!!
JMJ