by Aamer Madhani
Next time the White House wants to invite the Democratic leadership to a last-minute meeting, Sen. Dick Durbin’s press secretary, Joe Shoemaker, suggests they try calling.
In the White House’s continued effort to hold off Congress from taking any dramatic action to end the war in Iraq, the administration invited about 200 lawmakers to attend a classified video-linked briefing session with Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker this morning at the Pentagon.
The White House, however, extended the invitations by sending faxes to the office of the various senators’ general fax lines two days ago. Shoemaker said no one in the Democratic leadership—including the Assistant Majority Leader Durbin—was aware of the meeting until it was too late to attend.
Shoemaker said aides in the office poured through the hundreds of faxes they’ve received, but have yet to find the invitation.
“If they were serious, they know how to invite us,” Shoemaker said.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino confirmed the invitations were extended by fax, but said many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were invited personally during the Iraq war debate earlier this week.
She couldn't say exactly how many Democrats showed up for the briefing, but said in an email that among those who attended the briefing were Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and John Kerry (D-Mass). Perino added that the Democratic leadership staff “knew about it because we got questions from them about it.”
Perino said the administration held the briefing with the top military commander and senior U.S. diplomat in Iraq because “it’s always good to get a first hand accounting from those who are on the ground and have the freshest information from eye-witness accounts.”
The classified briefing to lawmakers came before Crocker separately briefed members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In that hearing, which was open to the public, Crocker urged Congress to show patience despite the administrations grim report last week that indicated Iraq has made little progress achieving political, economic and military benchmarks set by Congress.
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Comments
Let's play the common sense game - Durbin knew about the meeting - too late too attend.. what could he have been doing that was more important than this? If you took this guy for his word, you would believe that he is up all night worrying about the troops, worrying about what to do with Iraq. Now, he has a chance to get a first hand account of it- and he blows it off? Maybe he was catching up on his sleep? Or resetting his sleep number?
This is crap- Durbin is the worst example of politician that uses this war and the troops to further his democratic, political agenda. it doesn't matter if he got the call, the fax or not- he knew about the meeting and he still chose not to go. Silly lttle man- an embarassment to Illinois!
Posted by: heartburn | July 19, 2007 5:39 PM
There is NOTHING secret on Capitol Hill when it comes to a briefing. If all these Dem senators knew about the briefing and attended, Durbin knew about it too. For whatever reason Durbin decided not to go, and now, embarrassed by not showing up to a briefing on a war he pontificates about, is trying to cover his behind by suggesting that he never was invited.
Posted by: Bruce | July 19, 2007 6:02 PM
Can't BP be toilet trained?
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | July 19, 2007 6:04 PM
Ol' Dick was too busy comparing our troops to Pol POt, Nazis, etc...
Posted by: Terry | July 19, 2007 9:59 PM
Turban Durbin to our soldiers at Gitmo...."The same as"....
Nazis-Soviet Gulags-Pol pot
He didn't use the phone,he announced it and gave aid and comfort to our enemies.
Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | July 20, 2007 2:08 AM
The stupidity of Paulo gives aid and compfort to our enemies.
Posted by: chimpymcflightsuit's navigator | July 20, 2007 9:22 AM