Bombshell: Unhappy with Holder, Rahm Emanuel did not want civilian trials for 9/11 plotters

[ohiodemocratic]

In a new New Yorker magazine article by Jane Mayer, it's being reported that

"At the White House, Emanuel, who is not a lawyer, opposed Holder’s position on the 9/11 cases. He argued that the Administration needed the support of key Republicans to help close Guantánamo, and that a fight over Khalid Sheikh Mohammed could alienate them. “There was a lot of drama,” the informed source said. Emanuel was particularly concerned with placating Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator from South Carolina, who was a leading proponent of military commissions, and who had helped Obama on other issues, such as the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. “Rahm felt very, very strongly that it was a mistake to prosecute the 9/11 people in the federal courts, and that it was picking an unnecessary fight with the military-commission people,”

Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/02/15/100215fa_fact_mayer#ixzz0fAe1Lwk9

The White House admits it, the Washington Post reports: "Believe me, we have disagreements all the time within the White House, within the administration," Axelrod said."

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/02/david-axelrod-talks-about-the.html?wprss=44

[DJ13]

1. With Democrats like Rahm we dont need Republicans

[Phx_Dem]

48. I say the same thing about progressives.

Why do we need Republicans to bring the President down when we have progressives in our own party to do it for them.

[villager]

2. Rahm, isn't it time for you to *fucking leave* and go run for mayor of Chicago, or something?

You can backslide, compromise and backstab there to your heart's content, but you won't be dragging an entire Federal administration down with you...

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

5. Ummmh, no thanks. Wasilla might

be looking though. :evilgrin:

[Goldstein1984]

10. Don't send him up here!

I mean, I live in Eagle River, but I can see Wasilla from my front porch.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

20. How's Putin doing these days? nt

[Goldstein1984]

21. Can't tell

The Russians have been keeping the shades down ever since Palin revealed our intelligence gathering capabilities.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

24. Those sneaky evil doing fuckers! nt

[tavalon]

30. I no longer live in Texas but we had to take one for the team when

Bush and Turdblossom went back. You might have to take one for the team.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

42. We got rid of him

we dont want him back.

[peacebird]

3. Rahm is an idiot.

[The Wielding Truth]

4. "support of key Republicans" Not the way to rule this country!

[Vincardog]

6. Hey Rahm it is time to quit worrying about the pugs and start kicking them in the teeth.

Can you hear me NOW?

Conservatives and conservative policies have brought us to the brink of financial and social ruin;
and you want to worry about their feelings?

GET A CLUE

[DrToast]

7. Nope, he only saves the muscle to push Dems around

[avaistheone1]

8. Dump Rahm.

[Lord Helmet]

9. Tough shit, Rahm.

[Beacool]

11. Interesting..........

"Privately, White House officials have expressed increasing frustration with Holder since last year, in large part because of his decision to investigate whether past CIA interrogation techniques were illegal. In the New Yorker piece, Mayer writes that Emanuel was frustrated not only that Holder took a backward-looking approach toward the CIA investigations but also try Khaled Sheikh Mohammed in federal court -- despite objections from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), an important administration ally on other issues, including the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention center."

:(

[flyarm]

12. Hey Rahm..I am one of the Liberal ASSES..AND I HAVE THIS TO SAY TO YOU..

Dear Rahm,

F You Rahm!

My co-workers were killed on 9/11 Rahm, and I want those accused of being part of the plot tried in a Federal Court..I am sick of the excuses and the lies.

I don't remember voting for you, you MTF'er Rahm..and it is past time you are showed the door..better yet ..you need to have your "ass" thrown out of my White House..now..today..not another day of you, you sob!


You will be one of the main reasons I stay home in November. And a Senate seat is open in my state. Is this a threat..no , I mean business. Unless your ass is fired and dems start acting like Democrats..My ass..{you know Rahm the one you said this about}:

Rahm Emanuel Tells Liberals To Kiss His Arse

Will stay home!

Sincerely,

a very angry FLY

[tavalon]

31. Please vote in the primaries

It's the only time we have a vote worth casting.

[CBR]

13. Debate and difference of opinion in the White House?!? Can't have

that!!!

[annabanana]

14. . . Which is why the Justice Dept. MUST be independent!

Thanks for the "teachable moment". The previous Admin. never figured this one out.

[roguevalley]

15. he just gets worse and worse, our Rahm.

[tavalon]

32. I don't call him our Rahm, I call him our Turdblossom.

[calimary]

16. Dammit! Another White House shit storm, and as usual, rahm emanuel is smack-dab in the middle of it.

Does anybody back there ever connect the dots? He has been NO HELP so much of the time. DAMN! Anybody else back there notice, at all?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

17. If true, doesn't this prove that President Obama isn't under the thrall of RE?

I guess President Obama agreed with Holder and didn't care so much about "alienating" Republicans. That seems to contradict the narrative that so many people want to push regarding Obama constantly sucking up to the Repubs and/or listening to Rahm to the exclusion of others, doesn't it?

[asdjrocky]

18. I see the blame Rahm talking points are fanning out there nicely.

For crying out loud people. Obama owns this. He and Rahm have been friends for years.

When are people going to realize that Rahm serves at the PLEASURE OF THE PRESIDENT.

Obama hired him for the job and he is only doing what Obama tells him to do.

Who's the boss?

[vaberella]

19. Lord---more secret santas telling stories. No facts, but people who hate Emmanuel will feed on this.

This is getting ridiculous. Much like I thought there was a concerted effort to undermine the President but taking liberal concerns and manifest them in any which way in order to move and prolong liberal anger towards the president. I'm starting to think this is another one used to attack Emmanuel.

We will be flooded by more and more "informed sources" without knowing the truth in order to build the animosity and people here will use it as truth. I'm getting fed up with this.

More and more there are people at work---mainly the MSM whoare set to destroy the President and they will plant seeds of angst with "informed" "unnamed" "silent" sources and the list goes on in order to make the President's take down a reality.

[ohiodemocratic]

23. The Washington Post asked Axelrod about the New Yorker piece. Ax acknowledged the differences

From the WAPO article provided:

"Acknowledging White House resistance to the Justice Department decisions, Axelrod continued: "Rahm has a perspective that's different. He's the chief of staff. He looks at things from a legislative perspective, he looks at things from other perspectives."

Rahm Emanuel, Mayer reported, strongly opposed giving the 9/11 plotters a civilian trial.

"Believe me, we have disagreements all the time within the White House, within the administration," Axelrod said. "That's as it should be. People have different perspectives, different points of view."

If the New Yorker had been simply making things up, the White House would set the record straight and would have destroyed the rumor. Axelrod instead admitted the rift.

I heard some deny that Rahm had called some liberals "retarded" and Rahm ended up apologizing. The sources were vindicated.

[w4rma]

45. Agreed. Also, note that Rahm apologized to Sarah Palin for using the word "retarded".

If Rahm had the foresight to use a different expletive, he wouldn't have apologized to anyone.

[Enrique]

28. unless it's good about Obama

then anonymous sources are just fine and dandy. Not a word about sources when it's good about Obama.

[frazzled]

22. Well, whether true or not, he certainly lost that debate

Which goes to disprove the general conspiracy theory that Rahm Emanuel is running everything in the White House. He obviously doesn't.

[Smashcut]

25. Rahm's first concern: appeasing Republicans.

[indepat]

43. Second concern: torpedoing virtually progressive initiative BHO's supporters

had hoped for. With friends like this, who needs...? :P

[SemiCharmedQuark]

26. The executive branch is no longer playing politics with the judiciary and this makes me feel better.

That is as it should be and that absolutely is change I can believe in.

[Hawkowl]

27. Rahm is a fucking COWARD.

He is the worst fucking coward the democrats have.

[Hippo_Tron]

29. You're faulting a political advisor for giving political advice that wasn't even taken

Rahm advised the President that closing Guantanamo would be a lot harder if he decided to try KSM in a federal court. The President pays these people because they provide him information like that. He then has to decide if the benefits outweigh the costs. Clearly he decided in this case that they did.

This is in fact a good example of how Rahm does NOT in fact have the control over things to the extent that people think he does and that the President is the one who makes the decisions and should take the blame when things go wrong.

[GoCubsGo]

34. It's more than that...

They're faulting a political adviser whose advice allegedly wasn't taken, all based on the claims of someone who didn't have the balls to put their identity behind that claim. Good grief.

[Hippo_Tron]

36. Everybody wants to be an armchair strategist

Of course when you don't actually have inside access and don't really know what is going on, the only way to be an armchair strategist is to assume that what you read in Politico is true.

Process stories are a distraction from the issues, especially since they're usually gossip.

[ProgressOnTheMove]

33. Oops someone says it's unsource I'll take a raincheck for further info.

[ohiodemocratic]

35. Any idea why Axelrod didn't use the "it's unsourced" argument?

When the WAPO asked him, he admitted the differences between Rahm and Holder.

[ProgressOnTheMove]

37. Yeah that's true.

[BklnDem75]

40. Probably because he wasn't there

He most likely assumed the WAPO had a legit source. Saying 'we have disagreements all the time' isn't exactly an admission of anything.

[ohiodemocratic]

41. do you think Rahm will issue a denial?

Given that the story has been published in the New Yorker, the Washington Post, Politico, etc.?

[BklnDem75]

44. Not really seeing why he should...

Considering none of these news sources asked him BEFORE publishing the article. Question is if he doesn't feel the need to respond to the article, does that make what they wrote true?

[TheKentuckian]

38. Rahm hates us for our freedoms...fucking neolib

[The Wizard]

39. Could someone pay a homeless guy

$100 to sucker punch Rahm.

[whistler162]

46. Well that "bomb shell" was a dud!

Though it does show "THE GREAT BOOGEYMAN" Rahm Emmanuel doesn't have as much control over the President as some insist!

[ohiodemocratic]

47. Do you agree with Rahm or Holder?

Federal Court for 9-11 including KSM? Or not.