Doolittle (R-Calif.) announces retirement

[Newsjock]

Source: Sierra Sun

Congressman John Doolittle (R-Roseville), announced Thursday his retirement in the following letter on his webpage, doolittle.house.gov.

Doolittle, 57, who has been under grand jury investigation for a lobbying scandal involving his wife and jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

... "My wife, Julie, and I have made this decision after much prayer and deliberation. It was not my initial intent to retire, and I fully expected and planned to run again right up until very recently. But it distilled upon us that we were ready for a change after spending almost our entire married lives with me in public service. We are at peace with this choice and look forward to starting a new chapter in our lives.

... To the cynics who have scoffed at the rise of the conservative majority, I quote a great American President, Ronald Reagan “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”



Read more: http://www.sierrasun.com/article/20080110/FRONTPAGE/398624879

[AlCzervik]

1. after much prayer and fbi raids! Woohoo here from district 3.

[cboy4]

5. High 5 neighbor!

:thumbsup:

[AlCzervik]

8. i love this stuff! Sending $100 right now to Charlie.

:toast:

[Demeter]

2. The Aptly-Named Congressman John Doolittle(R-CA)

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Oh, the humanity of it all! To be 'destilled upon'!!

[cboy4]

4. I live in his district and I can't express how happy I am

to get rid of this piece of shit.

We almost were able to help the Democrat (Charlie Brown) defeat him last time around, but Doo(absolutely)Little's district is so heavily Republic that it's very difficult.

He does absolutely nothing for my area because he always knew he would receive blind support from all of the ridiculous conservatives at election time.

He's the epitome of laziness and crookedness and needs to go to prison.

[xxqqqzme]

13. you're describing my congress critter

dana rohrabacher. Once he got his snout in the public trough, he hasn't backed away. Done nothing, useless, ass hat.

[Throd]

6. Good riddance you douche-tard!

Though it may be grey and rainy, this is a good day for El Dorado County.

[ronnykmarshall]

7. Bush will pardon him on his way out.

[cboy4]

10. I want him locked up, but even if he's pardoned, it's

a win for those of us who live in his district.

I can't express how much I've loathed this man who has his lips so tightly wrapped around Bush's d*** 24/7.

[cboy4]

9. Some great comments so far in the Sacramento paper!

tony_flow at 8:26 AM PST Thursday, January 10, 2008 wrote:

WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

==============

northstars at 8:31 AM PST Thursday, January 10, 2008 wrote:

dirtbag

Although he is 'retiring' under scrutiny and embarrassment, i'm sure he'll be livin' large on the public's dime for years to come..

=================

ajgrigg at 8:33 AM PST Thursday, January 10, 2008 wrote:

Great News!

A great contribution to political reform by dispatching the likes of Do-Little. He is a perfect example of what people hate about politicians. I hope he gets busted for his illegal activites related with that other scoundrel Jack Abramoff.

==================

wpepoon at 8:37 AM PST Thursday, January 10, 2008 wrote:

There is a God

The Doolittle Plague has ended.

=====================

http://www.sacbee.com/dyn/comments/standard/comments_separate.html?uri=http://www.sacbee.com/749/story/624368.html&o=d&ud=u&avatar=n&tie_to=624368


Rep. John Doolittle and his wife, Julie, arrive Thursday at the Maidu Community Center in Roseville, where he announced his retirement from Congress. Brian Baer / [e-mail]


Doolittle: 'The time has come for my departure.'
By David Whitney - [e-mail]
Published 8:08 am PST Thursday, January 10, 2008

Rep. John Doolittle announced this morning that he will not run for a tenth term in Congress, quoting a Bible passage to say that "the time has come for my departure."

Doolittle said he will complete his current term in office, then end a career sidetracked by a federal investigation into his family's ties to Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

He said he and his wife, Julie had made the decision after much prayer and deliberation.

"We are at peace with this choice, and actually quite happy, and look forward to starting a new chapter in our lives," he said.

http://www.sacbee.com/749/story/624368.html

[donkeyotay]

11. First, none of these guys appear to be going to jail

for what they did to our country. Secondly, they aren't ready for this new unity movement. It's like when bush declared mission accomplished without consulting the Iraqis. The dems who want to end divisiveness are going forward unilaterally. Here's a few quotes from the unjailed Doolittle's retirement letter - as he takes his tax-provided retirement and most likely heads off to a cushy corporate job or lobby:

snip>
To the cynics who have scoffed at the rise of the conservative majority, I quote a great American President, Ronald Reagan “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” ....

We have heard about the cries for change that are sweeping our nation.

Let me assure you that Julie and I will never stop fighting for our basic principles and sacred devotion to freedom.

So this morning, I want you to join with us to make the commitment that together we will carry on this struggle – and that we will not become the generation that lost that memory of freedom… That we will support the next generation of conservative leadership for this district and continue the ideals of our Founding Fathers.

We must not surrender to the winds of popular emotion.

We must not give up our sovereignty and control of our borders.

We must not succumb to the liberal defeatists. We must remember like the great General Douglas MacArthur said years ago: “There is no substitute for victory!” ...

As Julie and I begin the next adventure of our lives, we will be pondering the same question that others are asking; what will determine the direction of our country in this coming election?

Looking back centuries from now, what will historians say? Will they say that for one shining moment there existed this near perfect nation that had discovered the blessings of liberty and was on the verge of ushering in a new order of the ages, or a dissolute generation of spoiled and pampered citizens that came to power and then threw it all away?

Will we be swayed by changing political slogans and pandering politicians?

I know what Ronald Reagan would say: Not on our watch!

end snip>

How can we go forward together without first ascertaining that the other side wants to? Unilateral compromise won't do a thing for us. Goes nicely with the Chamber of Commerce's remarks: "We plan to build a grass-roots business organization so strong that when it bites you in the butt, you bleed," Chamber President Tom Donohue said.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3130754

[BrotherBuzz]

12. Doolittle's Out. Is Ose In?

Doolittle's Out. Is Ose In?

Steven Maviglio

The other shoe is already dropping with the announced retirement of corrupt Congressman John Doolittle. Former Sacramento-area Congressman Doug Ose is weighing getting into the race to challenge the expected entry of former State Sen. Rico Oller.

There is no love lost between the two. Oller faced off against Doug Ose's sister, Mary, when she tried to succeed him for the Congressional seat he retired from. The race was won by now-Congressman Dan Lungren, who benefitted from the nasty head-to-head combat between the politically ambitious Oller and newcomer Ose. Years later, there are still hard feelings between the camps -- enough that might fuel an Ose run.

Ose represents the more moderate wing (or what's left of it) of the Republican Party, much of which still exists in this district. If Oller jumps in and is joined by GOP Assemblyman Ted Gaines, also from the ultra-right wing of the spectrum, Ose has an excellent shot of winning. He also has significant name ID in the district from his years of service in Congress (Oller doesn't even live in the district), not to mention deep pockets that would make it a very expensive primary.

A bitter primary, of course, would certainly help Democrat Charlie Brown in the race.

http://www.camajorityreport.com/index.php?module=articles&func=display&aid=2599&ptid=9

[Riverman]

15. Most Repugnant Dist in CA - Won't be Easy for Charlie Brown

If anyone can beat whatever republican who gets their nomination, it will be tough for Charlie Brown, exMarine and father of a helcoptor pilot now on his fourth tour of duty in Iraq. This district is populated by Romney-like good Christians and Mormans who have swallowed the Americana/right-wing pablum that fill the many mega churches and vote republican even for immoral criminals like Doolittle, over and over again. No doubt he quit because the puppet masters locally told him he would not get money this time due to his tarnished reputation and that Charlie Brown came within a percentage point or two last time and would clearly beat him next Nov. He had to quit now to give the other republicans time to get their campaigns going and raise money. Ted Gaines seems to be the benefactor of Doolittle quiting and he looks like he is straight from the same wax factory as Romney - tall, good-looking, nice smile and great hair. Other than that, no substance!

[BrotherBuzz]

19. Charlie is a retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Colonel

and graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1972. His son is, or at least was, a copilot flying Hercules C130's.

Here's a scathing story Charlie Brown tells of a chance meeting of his son and Rep. John Doolittle:

The scene is in Iraq.

…the crew gets one more request: "Can one of the members of the delegation ride up in the cockpit?" You see, C-130s aren't real comfortable - there are only troop seats in the back cargo area. The cockpit isn't a lot better, but it's a little more comfortable, quieter, and it's not a troop seat. The crew wasn't crazy about visitors riding up there with them, but you can't say no to a Congressman.

… this member of the delegation was John Doolittle. John sat down in the cockpit and spoke for a minute with the aircraft commander. He didn't say anything to the rest of the crew. Nothing to the flight engineer. Or the navigator. Or the copilot. He didn't ask any of them where they were from. Or what it's like in Iraq. Or what he and the rest of Congress could do to help.

The flight was just over an hour up to Talafar and uneventful. As the congressional delegation was climbing off the airplane, the copilot leaned over to ask the aircraft commander to give John a message. So the aircraft commander went down to the ramp to see the delegation off, and as John stepped off the C-130 and onto the ramp the aircraft commander said to him: "Congressman Doolittle: Charlie Brown and his son hope you had a nice flight."

The copilot was my son, Jeff Brown, Air Force Captain.

John Doolittle sat next to my son for over an hour and didn't ask him his name. He didn't ask him where he was from. (Jeff, of course, is from John's District here in California.) He didn't ask how long Jeff had been in Iraq. (It was Jeff's third tour, and he's now scheduled for his fourth.) And he didn't ask what Congress could do to help him and the rest of the troops there in Iraq.

But I've asked. And Jeff told me, that if John had asked what he needed, he would have asked to make sure Congress fixes the cracks in the C-130 wings, because many of the aircraft are grounded, and many more are restricted on how much weight they can carry, and they're flying the heck out of those planes. Jeff would have asked to make sure Congress gives good medical care to the wounded, because he flies them out of Iraq. And Jeff said he would have asked to make sure Congress gives the best care to the families of the remains of fallen soldiers, because he flies them out of Iraq too.

But John Doolittle didn't ask. He didn't talk to the airmen. They were just his drivers that day. John Doolittle sat next to my son for over an hour and didn't have the courtesy to even ask his name.

••••••

2006 4th district results:
Doolittle 49%
Brown 46%

Charlie Brown has developed name recognition and does have a fighting chance if we help fill his war chest. People in the forth district are becoming comfortable with Charlie Brown, a former lifelong republican.

[Riverman]

14. Right! Ain't Seen nothing Yet - Like Indictments of both of these

Scum Bags, the Perp Walk in chains, the cries from the Federal Pen as Johnny boy is initiated into the new chapter in his life. True justice would be to sentence them to slave work in the factories in the Marianas Islands in the Pacific chained to a sewing machine, working 16 hour days 7 days a week, with a cup of local dirty water and maggot infested rice and a bed role under the table. In fact all of those poor soles who have been brought into such hell holes supported with US grants and special treatment by the likes of DeLay, Dootlittle and Abramoff, should be freed, taken to the US to be given educations, housing, real salaried jobs, and health care(oh yeah, I forgot, we don't have health care for 47 million Americans), and then fill those slave jobs with indicted crimmanals such as the Abramoff and the Doolittles.

[Jimbo S]

16. Roseville is located where?

NoCal or SoCal? Help me out. :)

[cboy4]

17. It's Northern California near Sacramento

(Blue line on this map)

[whatdoyouthink]

18. Good Riddance

Scum is to nice to of a word to use - but mama always said (Someone might be listing)watch you mouth punk!

[damntexdem]

20. Oh good: Doolittle to do less.

Actually, we've all seen way too much of nothin' already.

[trashcanistanista]

21. Oh Well,

I was hoping he would stay in so that I wouldn't have to work that hard this year for Brown. Now it's, ok, no spring vacation, summer vacation and damn you Doolittle. Going to a Brown house party meeting tonight and officially starting the hard work to get this district BLUE! I now need to read up on the other assholes running in his place.

[Hekate]

22. Ah, that Republican way with words: "But it distilled upon us that we were ready for a change"

What sort of distillery was he consulting?

Another R gone -- will his district elect a Dem to replace him?

Hekate