Dirty Harry

I’ve said before in my posts that while I have conservative leanings, I am not a Republican, registered or otherwise. So I don’t have an axe to grind against Democrats. If a Republican steps in it, I’ll post my opinions as fast as I would about a Democrat stepping in the same cowpie. If I don’t, it’s my business why I don’t post. You’ll have to trust that I’m not favoring one side against the other. But the Democrats are giving conservatives, right-wingers, Republicans, and people of every other political description possible so much ammunition that we all can pick and choose what we want to post about.

This time it’s Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, of Nevada. During remarks made on the Senate floor, Senator Reid “strayed from his prepared remarks on the Senate floor yesterday and promised to continue opposing one of President Bush's judicial nominees based on "a problem" he said is in the nominee's "confidential report from the FBI." The problem is that those confidential FBI reports are not open to just anyone, including Senator Reid. So, my question is, how did he get his nose into the file?

Standing Rule of the Senate 29, Section 5: "Any Senator, officer, or employee of the Senate who shall disclose the secret or confidential business or proceedings of the Senate, including the business and proceedings of the committees, subcommittees, and offices of the Senate, shall be liable, if a Senator, to suffer expulsion from the body; and if an officer or employee, to dismissal from the service of the Senate, and to punishment for contempt.”

A "Memorandum of Understanding" covering the use of FBI background reports limits access to committee members and the nominee's home-state senators.

Let's see: divulging confidential information, and not from the nominee's home state. Sounds like Harry's in it up to his kneecaps.

Confidants of Judge Saad, the judicial nominee in question, said yesterday that the judge would release the file, but that he has never seen it, let alone obtained copies of it. Judge Saad is not permitted to see the file, Senate staffers said. Confidential files? Yeah, sure. Frankly, it’s typical in government circles that everyone knows your business but you.

I think it’s dirty of Senator Reid to make the comments he did, in the manner he did. It’s one thing to say to a colleague, “You know, Judge So-and-so has this in his background. I don’t think he should be confirmed.” It might be “gossip-mongering”, which I also don’t agree with, but at least he’s not saying it in a public forum where there are reporters, radio microphones, and television cameras recording every word. How in the world can Judge Saad, of whom I know absolutely nothing except that there is a problem in his “confidential” file, refute the allegation?

I believe in fair play, and Senator Reid is not playing fair. And when you get down to it, it’s juvenile behavior. Not the first time I’ve said that about a Democrat lately. Maybe Senator Reid needs to go home and grow up. Remember when you were in high school? Do you remember how girls would spread a rumor about another girl. Didn’t make any difference why they did it or who the girl was, once the rumor got started, the poor girl whom it was about suffered for the rest of the school year at least. It’s still going on in Congress today. Senator Reid has started a rumor about Judge Saad and there is no way Judge Saad can refute it. He doesn’t have access to the file.

This isn’t high school, it’s real life and the consequences can be devastating. Rumors started this way can stop a career cold. Some careers need to be stopped cold, but only when evidence is presented in the correct venue. Senator Reid has chosen the court of public opinion and has not presented his evidence. He’s only said that there’s a “problem”. But he won’t be held responsible if the press and the public begin to speculate what the “problem” might be. I hope there’s no “problems” in Senator Reid’s FBI files.

Want to bet that Senator Reid skates by on this? Bet with someone else. You know and I know that the MSM won’t have a problem with Senator Reid breaking rules that would get someone of another political leaning thrown out of the Senate. And if the MSM doesn’t make a fuss, ain’t nothing gonna happen.

Here’s the link to the Washington Times article.