Shelby Caves, Releases Most Holds

by: mooncat

Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 21:39:03 PM CST

Sen. Richard Shelby has released most of the Obama appointments he had held hostage to obtain ~~pork~~ federal largesse.

"The purpose of placing numerous holds was to get the White House's attention on two issues that are critical to our national security -- the Air Force's aerial refueling tanker acquisition and the FBI's Terrorist Device Analytical Center," the spokesman said.
"With that accomplished, Sen. Shelby has decided to release his holds on all but a few nominees directly related to the Air Force tanker acquisition until the new Request for Proposal is issued," he added.
...
Shelby retains a hold on the following officials, the aide said: Terry Yonkers, assistant secretary of the Air Force; Frank Kendall, principal deputy undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics; and Erin Conaton, undersecretary of the Air Force.

This is a damned stupid way to lobby the incoming Air Force and Defense officials who will have a significant amount of influence on what contracts do and do not come to Alabama. I mean, Shelby is poking these guys in the eye with a sharp stick. Are they supposed to view his state favorably after they're in office? Which could (and should) come as soon as Congress recesses?

Did Shelby's blackmail attempt work?

The White House said that it agreed to none of Shelby's demands, and that the senator released the holds on his own accord

Not NO, but HELL NO.

mooncat :: Shelby Caves, Releases Most Holds

Tags: Richard Shelby, Alabama, Obama nominees, (All Tags)

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Shelby Caves, Releases Most Holds | 16 comments

Senator Dick has almost guaranteed a protest on the tanker contract award (4.00 / 2)

Before the RFP even drops.

And this puts new tankers even further into the future.

Let's put this into perspective: the new tanker is intended to replace the KC-135's currently in service. The first KC-135 went into service in June 1957, about a year before its younger brother, the Boeing 707 airliner, was certified. The newest KC-135 was delivered in 1965.

The tankers are older than most of their crew!

Senator Dick is not even helping his EADS masters with these antics, but then, it's not about helping anything. It's about Senator Dick's ego.

"The War in Iraq is not the disease. The War in Iraq is a symptom. Arrogance is the disease" - Bill Richardson

by: herding old cats @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 21:56:14 PM CST

by: you @ soon

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I bet this is why he finally caved.... (4.00 / 2)

This is a damned stupid way to lobby the incoming Air Force and Defense officials who will have a significant amount of influence on what contracts do and do not come to Alabama. I mean, Shelby is poking these guys in the eye with a sharp stick. Are they supposed to view his state favorably after they're in office? Which could (and should) come as soon as Congress recesses?

by: melmel @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 22:14:59 PM CST

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Reckon he decided Griffith had done enough damage to Alabama's rep? (4.00 / 1)

Shelby was already going to have to be carrying Griffith's district, in terms of protecting MSFC and RSA.

Work harder and work smarter!

by: mooncat @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 22:24:21 PM CST

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I can't imagine shelby giving a rats ass about anything beyond his own power and influence. (4.00 / 3)

by: melmel @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 22:26:47 PM CST

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A rough future I project (4.00 / 3)

Things are not looking good for us here in Alabama, thanks to the actions of Shelby. And with the actions of Griffith compounded on top of that, the Tennessee Valley stands to get the double whammy. It's going to be strange when I go to McDonalds in coming years and have an army general take my order and a NASA engineer cook my fries.

I have always been against mud-slinging in campaigns. Those days are over. Let's rip the G0P the new one that they deserve.

June 2010 was the 304th consecutive month with a global temperature above the 20th century average. The last month with below-average temperature was February 1985. - N.O.A.A.

by: Dragontide @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 23:19:46 PM CST

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shelby's deviousness (4.00 / 2)

With shelby you never know where deviousness starts and ends. he ostensibly put the holds in to help airbus beat boeing in the tanker contract fight. so he gets benefit of south alabama job seekers thinking he's helping them. but he does it in a way that tees off defense contracting execs. that helps boeing. and boeing is very big in the huntsville area. top boeing people know what the effect of what he's doing is. but are mobile area people conned?

by: ivan @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 07:27:20 AM CST

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That's part of what makes this soo interesting. (4.00 / 2)

His move COULD be perceived by many in AL as a fight for them. The interesting thing--are enough people paying attention for it to work? And will it piss people off or make them like Shelby more. Time will tell.

by: melmel @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 08:55:39 AM CST

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The arrogance of stupid. (4.00 / 2)

by: Gayla @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 07:29:35 AM CST

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Whatever you do... (4.00 / 2)

Do NOT read the comments on the story on al.com. Looks like if any of the good people of Alabama are angry, it's because he caved. Too many of them are actually proud that their senator pulled such a stunt.

Idiots and hypocrites, every last one of them. It never ceases to amaze me that a bunch of so-called "fiscal conservatives" could seriously support the possible misuse of taxpayer dollars-- which I might add are not tax dollars that we've paid out. We've already used up the ones we paid (plus a hefty extra-large handout on top of that).

by: Almoderate @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 09:53:58 AM CST

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Wanna stymie a teabagger? (4.00 / 2)

Ask them if they voted for George W. Bush? Most did and can't accept their responsibility for the mess he and his puppethandlers created.

Money may be the Mother's milk of politics, but it is the arsenic of Democracy.

by: Dardango @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 10:08:49 AM CST

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correction (4.00 / 1)

period, instead of question mark after Bush.

Money may be the Mother's milk of politics, but it is the arsenic of Democracy.

by: Dardango @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 10:23:43 AM CST

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Oddly enough, I did vote for George W. Bush in 2000. (0.00 / 0)

I was sick of Clinton by the time 2000 came around, and I had kind of liked George H. W. Bush. I was... hopeful.

I voted for John Kerry in 2004. I threw up in my mouth a bit when I did it, and I still can't stand him (or the guy who ran with him who shall not be named), but four years of Bush was enough for me. I'd have voted for anyone but Bush at that point. (I think Howard Dean was the guy I really liked that year.)

2004 was also the year I started getting really pissed off at John McCain-- the guy I originally supported in 2000. He just seemed to go really downhill after that election year.

by: Almoderate @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 16:15:45 PM CST

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