Along with my senator, Maria Cantwell, who’s armed and set to do battle against that farty ol’ gusty gut wheezer Ted Stevens tomorrow, there’s Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif) who has consulted “four presidential scholars for their opinion on former White House Counsel John Dean’s statement that President Bush admitted to an ‘impeachable offense’ when he said he authorized the National Security Agency to spy on Americans without getting a warrant from a judge.” (More about Boxer and the dimwitted but diabolical doofus dauphin below the fold. Update [2005-12-20 19:43:14 by susanhu]: Barbara Boxer will discuss her impeachment investigation on MSNBC’s Countdown With Keith Olbermann tonight.)
You’ll want to be sure to turn on C-Span2 tomorrow. Maria Cantwell is leading a furious, gritty group of Democratic senators — including Sen. Russ Feingold — against Sen. Ted Stevens and Sen. Bill Frist — or, as I’ll call them hereafter Crank and Wank.
Maria vows to lead a filibuster against the inclusion of funding for ANWR drilling in the defense bill: “Sen. Maria Cantwell vowed Monday to keep the Senate in session until the brink of Christmas to defeat legislation that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.” (Seattle P.I., D.C. bureau)
In a floor speech Monday, Maria Cantwell took the Republicans head on:
Maria Called Out “Crank” For Tacking ANWR Drilling Onto the Defense Bill
[T]he Oregonian just said a few days ago:
“Arctic drilling has been thrown in with the defense bill and the emotionally charged matter of supporting American troops at a time of war. It does not belong there, something that ought to be obvious to all but the most cynical members of Congress.”
All but the most cynical Members of Congress should see that this is obvious.
We actually had a letter from military leaders, military leaders in our country, raising the same concern:
…any effort to attach controversial legislative language authorizing drilling to the Defense appropriations conference report will jeopardize Congress’ ability to provide our troops and their families the resources they need in a timely fashion.
That is coming from General Zinni and many others who wrote to us saying, don’t do this. This is crazy. We want to get about the process of getting a DOD bill passed. (Cantwell Floor Speech Monday)
Maria Accused “Crank” of Failing to Adhere to Senate Rules
It is another thing to say, somehow, this legislation has arrived here through a clean process. The fact is you would basically have to overrule the Parliamentarian — which is our judge here. It is basically like going to a Federal court, having a judge rule on something, then when the judge rules on it voting to overturn them, and then a few minutes later reinstating the rule. If that isn’t a quick fix around the legislative process here, I don’t know what is. But this whole ANWR measure, trying to get it on any piece of legislation that is moving, has been exactly that — every attempt to make the process go without adhering to the rules. (Cantwell Floor Speech Monday)
The New Hampshire newspaper said:
He has threatened to attach the provision to the Hurricane Katrina relief bill or to the defense appropriations bill, a cynical ploy…. Trying to attach this, basically, should be rejected. Both approaches should be rejected.
Even my newspaper in Seattle called this, “dubious congressional standards of fair play,” because they know that this situation is one in which any legislative rule will be thrown out, just to pass drilling in ANWR. (Cantwell Floor Speech Monday)
Then Maria Hits ‘Em (the Republicans) Where It Hurts
Maria evoked the memory of Henry “Scoop” Jackson, the longtime Washington state Democratic senator who was a fierce hawk, and who was one of the paterfamilias and legislative mentors to today’s Neocons – and, in this day and age, would most likely be a Republican (to get a mental picture of Scoop, who died of a sudden heart attack in 1983, think Joe Lieberman, but tougher and vastly more influential):
The fact is this legislation comes to us and basically takes away about seven different laws that would otherwise apply to drilling in the Arctic. It really is — it is a free ride, a back door that circumvents seven different Federal laws and countless regulations that have been on the books for years. So this is not just passing ANWR; this is basically giving the oil companies a sweetheart deal around Federal laws and regulations that no other company has ever gotten.
I guarantee, Scoop Jackson would roll over in his grave. There is no way Scoop Jackson would support drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge when you are overturning a law, the National Environmental Policy Act, that he wrote. So you can mention Scoop Jackson’s name a thousand times, there is no way he would support this process.
Did you ever ask yourself why he didn’t just authorize it to begin with? I think he knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted further review, and he certainly wanted environmental laws to apply. But, no, this legislation basically overrides the environmental statutes. It creates ill-defined environmental standards. It has a waiver for the lease and sale of land and cuts off the Secretary’s ability to protect environmentally sensitive areas, and it allows the Secretary to lease an unlimited amount of coastal plain. It takes a weak reclamation standard and basically hamstrings the Federal agencies that are supposed to do their job when it comes to protecting federal lands. (Cantwell Floor Speech Monday)
When Scoop Jackson was my senator — along with the unforgettable, bigger-than-life Warren Magnuson — I was too young to notice all of his positions, but I do remember that he, like Magnuson, was a staunch defender of the environment and — as Cantwell points out — enacted protective environmental legislation.
BELOW: What “Crank” Pulled, The Canard About ANWR Drilling Being Necessary For the Good of National Security, and More Stunts by “Crank,” and the $5 BILLION that ANWR Nets Alaska … all the “ammo” you’ll need to write and call your senators … plus a bit more about Barbara Boxer …
Backgrounder: “Arctic drilling forces tough choice”
On Monday, House Democrats — particularly those in districts with a big military presence — were put in the near impossible position of having to vote for “the ANWR provision” which had been attached to the “$453 billion defense appropriations bill, which guarantees paychecks to troops serving in Iraq, a 3 percent military pay raise and money for major weapons procurement.” (Seattle Times, Dec. 20, 2005). Even first-term rightwing Republican Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.), lauded by his constituents for opposing ANWR drilling, was forced to vote yes because the defense package had to be passed.
Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Bremerton, [he is MY representative] opposes ANWR drilling but supported the bill because of the military pay issue, and because it includes millions of dollars for Pentagon contracts in the state, for Stryker brigades at Fort Lewis and for the Trident submarine missile conversion program at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyards.
Rick Larsen, D-Lake Stevens, also an ANWR opponent, voted for the bill, too. His district would get millions in Pentagon money and his anticipated election opponent next year is a retired Navy officer.
However, other Democrats, despite their pro-military constituencies, voted against the House defense bill:
Adam Smith, D-Tacoma, whose district includes Fort Lewis and is home to many active and retired military personnel, voted against it. In an interview, Smith castigated the House for “sticking ANWR into the defense bill.”
“It has no place there,” he said. Smith, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, said he supported an earlier defense bill that didn’t include ANWR.
He also rejected the argument that voting against the final appropriations bill would stop paychecks going to soldiers in Iraq. “If we had blocked this bill with ANWR in it, we would have come back immediately with another defense appropriations bill to replace it. We would not have shut down.” […]
Now, Adam Smith is not a favorite of progressives in Washington state — they bitch all the time about his various votes in the House — but I hope they read this article and appreciate how he stuck his neck out to defend ANWR … just like Maria Cantwell is doing in the Senate.
Here’s What Crank Pulled:
From today’s Seattle Times:
Republican Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, one of the most powerful members of Congress, worked behind the scenes over the weekend with Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, to attach ANWR drilling to the defense spending bill.
Stevens says opening ANWR to drilling will increase the nation’s energy supplies and reduce reliance on foreign oil. He and other supporters also say oil can be removed without damaging the environment.
Stevens defended sticking ANWR into the defense bill, shortly after Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington denounced it as “a sweetheart deal around federal laws” by the oil industry and its congressional allies.
Why Is Maria Fearful of the ANWR Drilling Deal?
[T]his Senator still remains in opposition to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, because you can’t tell me that 5,504 spills on an annual basis in the North Slope since 1996 is a good track record. You just can’t tell me that all those oil spills in the Prudhoe Bay area and near the Trans-Alaska Pipeline constitute a good enough track record to now say you can open up drilling in an Arctic wildlife refuge and have no impact. Last year, those spills totaled more than 1.9 million gallons of toxic substance, mostly crude oil and diesel.
We know where this is heading. We know where it is heading with no great result for the United States. We are not going to see any oil for a long time. (Cantwell Floor Speech Monday)
THE BIG ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: What’s In It For Ted — er, Crank?
I understand the Senator from Alaska thinks this ANWR provision is in the interest of some, because I think it is in Alaska’s interest. In 2005, petroleum counted for 86 percent of the State of Alaska’s general revenues — 86 percent of their state revenues. In fact, according to a published article, State officials expect that at least until 2013, 74 percent of Alaska’s general purpose revenues will come from oil revenues. So I get why the State of Alaska cares so much.
In fact, CBO recently calculated that Alaska will get $5 billion in revenue from this legislation if it is passed. Of course Alaska cares about this. Of course Alaska would hold up the legislative process and keep us here extra days to get this bill passed and get ANWR in by hook or crook, any possible way. Of course they would. (Cantwell Floor Speech Monday)
And That Canard About ANWR Drilling Being Necessary For the Good of National Security?
The notion that this is about national security is unbelievable to me. To me, what national security is really about is passing a clean DOD appropriations bill that gives resources to our troops. In fact, we should give the military in Iraq the ability to do a better job protecting the security and infrastructure of the pipeline there. We lose 800,000 barrels a day of oil in Iraq that could be part of helping the Iraqi government get on its feet and the rest of the world energy markets stabilize. But this ANWR measure is holding up a DOD bill instead of giving the military all the resources they need. We are not talking about an oil supply 10 years from now; we are talking about something we should be doing today in terms of securing existing infrastructure. We should strip this ANWR language out and pass this bill. (Cantwell Floor Speech Monday)
What Instead Should We Focus On, Maria Reminds Us
Maria Cantwell is a member of the Senate’s Commerce and Energy Committees.
She serves as “the chair of Energy Independence 2020 and has been a leader in the fight to stop plans to drill the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.”
Besides the strong point she makes above — that “[w]e lose 800,000 barrels a day of oil in Iraq that could be part of helping the Iraqi government get on its feet and the rest of the world energy markets stabilize” — she hits the nail on the head:
But don’t say that this is in the national interest. What is in the national interest of our country is to get over our overdependence on foreign oil. We need to start doing that now, as well as get off of our overdependence on domestic oil and fossil fuels in general. Instead of implementing this Arctic drilling program, we ought to be implementing policies that help us diversify and move forward, so people can have affordable energy rates in this country and not be held hostage by these special interests. (Cantwell Floor Speech Monday)
P.S. Maria Hasn’t Forgotten Crank’s Bullying of Her In the Oil Execs Hearing
Do you think that maybe Crank hates Maria? I hope so. It’s such fun when he sputters and fumes and makes a fool of himself, like he did this morning, whining that he’s being called “cantakerous” and says mournfully that he’s been accused of breaking Senate rules.
Maria is joining forces with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) to demand an investigation into the phony oil exec hearing that Stevens chaired.
Senator Demands Answers in Response to Concerns That Oil CEOs’ Responses to Congress May Not Have Been Accurate
Before the joint hearing, Cantwell led a group of Democratic senators in requesting that oil company executives testify under oath when they appeared before the Committees. That request was denied. Last month, in a letter to Chairman Ted Stevens of the Commerce Committee and Chairman Pete Domenici of the Energy Committee, Cantwell requested again that oil executives return to Congress and testify under oath about their pricing and exporting practices and the recent run-up in American fuel prices. A number of the oil companies have failed to provide necessary information about their fuel inventories, trading activities and exports, despite the CEOs’commitments to Cantwelll at the November joint hearing.
Cantwell has also introduced legislation to put in place federal anti-gas price gouging protections and guard against future profiteering and market manipulation. Cantwell’s legislation came up for a vote on November 17, but needing a supermajority of 60 senators to pass, failed on a close 57 to 42 vote.
Cantwell is the chair of the Senate Democrats’ Energy Independence 2020 national campaign, working to break America’s overdependence on foreign oil, to protect working families from skyrocketing energy costs, and to stop unfair market manipulation by energy companies. We must stop price gouging, provide relief from high home heating costs, and invest in reliable sources of affordable fuel. By working toward energy independence, we can protect our environment, jumpstart our economy, and provide for a better future.
[The text of the letter to Attorney General Gonzales follows below] … Read all of Cantwell’s Dec. 14 press release.
Then There’s One More Big Issue That Pits The Crank Against Maria
The Washington Post (via the Boston Globe reprint) summed it up beautifully on December 4th:
Oil refinery bill roils lawmakers, ignites campaign
By Blaine Harden, Washington Post  | December 4, 2005
SEATTLE — When it comes to sacred cows in the oh-so-green state of Washington, the holiest of holies is Puget Sound, the shimmering estuary with oysters, clams, and soul-stirring views for the nearly 4 million people who live around its waters.
So when Republican Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska introduced a bill last month that would increase oil tanker traffic in the sound, nearly every state politician — Democrat and Republican alike — joined hands, rushed to the legislative barricades, and howled with indignant fury.
Leaked e-mails from British Petroleum stoked their indignation. BP owns the largest oil refinery in Puget Sound. It also has been a major player in Alaska’s oil industry, and a significant contributor to Stevens’s political campaigns.
The e-mail messages, which BP says are genuine, show that the company has worked with Stevens this year, as well as with Republicans in the House, to open Puget Sound for more tanker traffic. One e-mail from BP spokesman Bill Kidd predicted on Oct. 19 that Stevens would soon be on the Senate floor to introduce a bill to increase refining capacity in the sound. Three weeks later, Stevens introduced his bill, saying it would ”enable us to get petroleum resources to West Coast states quickly.”
In the state of Washington, no one has howled louder about Stevens’s bill — and has more to gain from voter awareness — than Senator Maria Cantwell.
The first-term senator, a Democrat from Washington, is up for reelection next fall. She has a formidable Republican challenger and has been described by some political analysts as ”beatable.”
But she has won effusive praise from local editorial writers and political veterans for standing up to the powerful senior senator from Alaska.
”This is a great issue for Maria,” said Representative Norman D. Dicks, a Democrat and senior member of Washington’s congressional delegation. ”The only thing more holy in this state than keeping Californians from taking water from the Columbia River is protecting Puget Sound.”
Cantwell has made a none-too-subtle reference to the nation’s worst oil spill, which occurred in the waters of Stevens’s home state after the Exxon Valdez ran aground in 1989. ‘ …
Read all at the Boston Globe.)
Did I mention that Maria’s running for reelection in 2006?
and you’ve got the makings of a civil war between the states of Washington and Alaska. Or, at the least, between the Crank, Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, and the Tough, Feisty Woman, Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington state.
WE CAN ADD IT ALL UP:
Damn, I’m proud of her.
NEXT UP: Barbara Boxer
I hope to write more about Boxer later. She’s one tough woman. Let Atrios’s comments whet your appetite.
And there’s this that just arrived in my e-mail from Barbara Boxer (hers is a good list to join):
Yesterday, I issued the following release about President Bush’s recent admission that he has personally authorized domestic surveillance without a court order. I sent the referenced letter to four presidential scholars, asking for their input:
- Cass Sunstein, University of Chicago Law School
- Bruce Ackerman, Yale University
- Susan Low Bloch, Georgetown University Law Center
<BR- Michael Gerhardt, College of William and Mary School of Law
I hope you’ll take a moment to read my statement below, and then forward this email to everyone you know.
Recommended additional reading: “Cantwell vows to filibuster Stevens’ Arctic drilling scheme,” by archerhouse at Daily Kos
(All emphases throughout are mine.)
