Democrats Engage in Non-Filibuster Filibuster of John Bolton

...they continue filibustering Bolton while claiming they're doing no such thing:

Do you remember the point in the Clinton impeachment trial when former Arkansas Democratic Sen. Dale Bumpers, paraphrasing H.L. Mencken, said, “When you hear somebody say, ‘This is not about money,’ it’s about money. And when you hear somebody say, ‘This is not about sex,’ it’s about sex�?

That would be a good idea to keep in mind when considering the Senate debate over the nomination of John Bolton to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

“We are not filibustering,� Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) said last week.

“We are not here to filibuster Mr. Bolton’s nomination,� said Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

“Since the administration has refused to provide [information], the only choice we have is to deny the vote on this nomination until there is full compliance,� said Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.). “That is not a filibuster.�

With apologies to Dale Bumpers and H.L. Mencken, you know when that many people say it’s not about a filibuster, it’s about a filibuster.

Note that they're filibustering via the non-filibuster supposedly because Bush won't let them see secret intelligence intercepts that Bolton requested. Of course Bush can't let them see those-- which is why they requested them in the first place. They know he can't comply, and thus they can blame the non-filibuster filibuster on his noncompliance.

And prepare for a shock-- the media is covering this up. Not wanting the public to get the crazy idea that the Democrats are filibustering just days after their "moderates" brokered a deal and promised a new era of amity, the media is uninterested in asking any of these moderates why the filibuster continues.

And, drat, I can't find it now, but I think Hugh Hewitt had a fun piece about the Washington Post's coverage of the filibuster last week, in which the article used every possible synonym for "filibuster" while avoiding actually using the word. When the Democrats tell the Washington Post it's not a filibuster, they dutifully report it as being a non-filibuster filibuster. They know who butters their biscuits.

posted by Ace at 12:30 PM

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