Hint that the 'Gang of 14' is in charge of the Senate

[Rose Siding]

ABC reports that Rockefeller, as ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, continues to pressure Roberts, the chairman, to investigate bush's domestic spying:

WASHINGTON Feb 17, 2006 (AP)— The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee wants the panel to look into whether the National Security Agency was eavesdropping without proper authority in the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks.

It was one of the questions outlined by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., in writing this week in a proposal to investigate.
....
Rockefeller also wants the panel to investigate how that may have supplemented intelligence collected and analyzed before the attacks. That line of inquiry is the first of 13 questions Rockefeller circulated to committee members as part of his motion to investigate.

Before ever getting into Roberts' response, the reporter has this, from Warner, who isn't even on the Intelligence committee:

More members of Congress are also expressing interest in weighing in on the program. Sen. John Warner, R-Va., told reporters that he's had conversations with members of the "Gang of 14" centrist senators who defused a showdown over judicial filibusters last year about whether they should consider reviewing laws relating to the president's program. But, he said, they haven't reached a decision.

If this "gang" is so influential in this instance, how else might they be a determining force? Some of the dems in this group would be crucial for any filibuster. As long as they hold together, there's really no muscle behind the 'opposition' party.

I don't think much has be written about their collaboration outside the issue of court nominees, but at the time they did contemplate just that. This is from a report just after they greased the skids for John Roberts:

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) wasted little time in touting the group’s clout. In an interview with Chris Matthews on “Hardball” on Monday night, Graham said, “Watch this group of 14 to come out with some deal for Social Security.”

“Really?” said Matthews.

Graham responded, “Keep watching.”
....
Other members of the group have been less forthcoming about the possibility of the bipartisan group’s sticking together to make other deals.

“That’s the question of the day,” said Preston Hartman, spokesman for Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine). “Can this group apply this to other areas?”
....
David DiMartino, a spokesman for Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), said the group of 14 would hold for the judicial nominations and “could come together to address other issues, like the energy bill” and Social security.

Here's the whole list of the people who just may really be in charge of it all:

John McCain (R-Az)
Joe Lieberman (D-Ct)
John Warner (R-Va)
Robert Byrd (D-WVa)
Olympia Snowe (R-Me)
Ben Nelson (D-Ne)
Mike DeWine (R-Oh)
Mark Pryor (D-Ak)
Susan Collins (R-Me)
Mary Landrieu (D-La)
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Ken Salazar (D-Co)
Lincoln Chafee (R-RI)
Daniel Inouye (D-Hi)

[buddysmellgood]

1. Bunch of republicans.

[saltpoint]

2. Joe Lieberman's there on the list. My god I can't imagine putting him

in charge of a pancake breakfast, let alone the Senate's agenda.

[Benhurst]

3. Daniel Inouye ought to be ashamed of himself for keeping such

company.

Maybe he's getting senile. ???

[Nikki Stone 1]

4. De Wine, eh? Puts a new spin on the trashing of Hackett's campaign

Maybe the goal is to have DeWine retain his seat.

[Rose Siding]

6. His position on spying is already clear.

He's playing the part of total, flirty WH suck up, to Roberts' mere suck up-

snip>
White House officials favor a proposal offered by another Republican senator, Mike DeWine of Ohio, whose bill would exempt the eavesdropping from the intelligence court. Mr. DeWine wants small subcommittees to oversee the wiretapping, but Mr. Roberts said he would like the full House and Senate Intelligence Committees to have regular briefings.

http://nytimes.com/2006/02/18/politics/18nsa.html?ei=5094&en=231ab42e6ca3fd9c&hp=&ex=1140325200&adxnnl=1&partner=homepage&adxnnlx=1140278548-YDhHXfFVe4cIZKxnZzkdzQ

[Nikki Stone 1]

9. Sure is

Wonder if Sherrod Brown is supposed to lose

[MrMickeysMom]

5. And how did that gang of 14 get to be where they are?

This is what makes me crazy. In fact, it was highly discussed on NOW with David Broncochio tonight. They play the game of going along with pork bill when they're in the House, then making deals on bill to earmark projects for their state when they're in the Senate. No matter what influence they have, eveything they do is targeted around securing their re-election. It's as dirty as they old bastards' face what got shot by the vice-fascist, Dick Cheney.

There is no "deal" they can make about Social Security or the Patriot Act or bipassing FISA courts, because no matter how POWERFUL they appear, they are fucking swines at the trough!!! :rant:

[ourbluenation]

7. Well I for one like this - it represents something lacking in bushworld

compromise. I certainly don't want a country where only one view is THE view - and that goes both ways.

[Rose Siding]

8. Theoretically, a compromise has an upside for both parties

So far, the Gang has given bush exactly what he wanted while Democrats wound up with a procedural maneuver that has been rendered useless.

[wisteria]

10. I wasn't happy about this arrangement to begin with and as time

goes by, it seems they have done nothing other then nueter the Dems.I haven't seen one thing they had done in opposition to what the Rebublicans wanted to do. All those on the list-especially the Dems all voted against the filibuster of Alito and all of them seem to ignore us.