December 17, 2009
Update: Sen Nelson caves – gets payment for vote
I don’t know who Sen Nelson (D-NE) is or why he was opposing the healthcare bill, but it appears it has to do with the Hyde Amendment, which bars the use of federal funds to pay for abortion. According to CNN, his amendment pushing stronger abortion restrictions was passed by the House but rejected in the Senate and he has been sparring with Harry Reid over it. Yesterday, Sen Nelson received a “compromise proposal on abortion restrictions that look ‘better than what’s in the bill’” that was put together by fellow anti-abortion Democrat Sen Casey (PA).
Glenn Beck is reporting that the WH threatened to close Offutt Air Force Base located in Nelson’s home state – Nebraska – if he didn’t fall in line. Report came via Michael Goldfarb at the Weekly Standard, whose source was a “Senate staffer”.
According to a Senate aide, the White House is now threatening to put Nebraska’s Offutt Air Force Base on the BRAC list if Nelson doesn’t fall into line….As our source put it, this is a “naked effort by Rahm Emanuel and the White House to extort Nelson’s vote.” They are “threatening to close a base vital to national security for what?” asked the Senate staffer.
Offutt, if you recall, is where Pres Bush went on 9-11. It is the headquarters of the US Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) and has a fully fortified bunker that can withstand a nuclear attack and a fully functional “war room”. It’s absolute insanity that the WH could think they could get away with this. So on the face of it, I find it hard to believe. But barry has shown he doesn’t care about the military or national security and Rahm Emanuel is his #1 enforcer, so it’s at least in the realm of the possible.
BRAC = base realignment and closure and in 2005 recommendations for closures were made that must be carried out by September 15, 2011 by the Secretary of Defense. Any additions would have to be at the very least discussed with him and what kind of argument could barry make?
Never happen.
Media Matters has predictably run to barry’s defense – going so far as to call Goldfarb a liar. Media Matters showed how clueless and vengeful they are with the whole Lou Dobbs issue. So the two cancel each other out.
The only way to know for sure is if a memo or recording shows up or Sen Nelson comes forward or if Nelson doesn’t go for the bill and barry tries to make good on the alleged threat.
Beck is at his melodramatic best and actually brings up the word “treason”.
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