Joe Conason makes excellent points I've been behind all along but they don't seem to have gotten much media attention
http://www.salon.com/...
Fortunately, the choice is not limited to Hastings or Harman. Among the possible alternatives is Rush Holt, D-N.J., a physicist and former State Department intelligence officer who is not only highly qualified to chair HPSCI but also has served on the committee with distinction. His honesty has never been questioned. For this job, above all others, Pelosi should honor her campaign promises and choose the best.
Everyone knows Harman had a duty after 9/11 to use her advanced intelligence briefs to investigate why we were going to war in Iraq, domestic spying, and other Bush abuses that will hurt us for years to come. She failed completely and utterly, and shows no remorse, she will be set to again receive the best intelligence and stare at a wall
Not only that, but she seems to be in the IDF's pocketbook
She is reportedly the subject of a federal investigation concerning her relationship with the powerful lobbyists at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. In a probe that grew out of the Larry Franklin espionage case, Harman is alleged to have promised to seek leniency for two AIPAC officials in exchange for the powerful lobby's support of her bid for the HPSCI chair.
Notice I said IDF, not Israelis or whatever, there is a profound distinction between supporting Israel and its right to exist, and oppposing moronic and savage tactics like those used by the IDF in Lebanon...basically we are the left here in America and we should support the Israeli Left over Likud
Despite all these failings, the runner up would be a disaster for us.
In 1988, the House approved 17 articles of impeachment against Hastings, who was then a federal district judge sitting in the Southern District of Florida. The congressional impeachment stemmed from his unsuccessful 1981 federal prosecution on charges that a lawyer named William Borders had solicited a $150,000 bribe on his behalf from Frank and Thomas Romano, two brothers convicted of racketeering whose sentencing came before Hastings. Borders, a longtime Hastings friend and a prominent African-American attorney, was found guilty and sent to prison.
Although a Miami jury acquitted Hastings of the bribery, despite much circumstantial evidence of his guilt, outraged judges in the 11th Circuit initiated disciplinary proceedings against him. They commissioned a special report on the Hastings case by former assistant attorney general John Doar, who found substantial evidence of his participation in the bribery scheme with Borders as well as reason to believe that he had subsequently lied under oath at his trial.
No doubt Pelosi understands that she, the Congressional Black Caucus and the new Democratic Congress will hear mocking laughter from all sides if they turn HPSCI over to Hastings. They may mumble about the possibility that the FBI crime lab compromised the evidence against him, or claim that they now worry about the fairness of his impeachment trial. Weighed against their own votes to impeach and convict him, and against their promises to clean up the corrupt Congress, those claims will count for nothing. The chairmanship of a select committee is not an entitlement, and grave doubts about the integrity of Hastings should disqualify him.
We can't be taken seriously as the party of Reform on ethics if we entrust the highest levels of intelligence to one of only 12 judges impeached in US history (and this one over Bribery!)
I don't think he's betray government secrets, but I do think it would look absolutely ridiculous and now that the Murtha-Hoyer hyped fight is over, we need to focus on our January blitz, not defending ourselves from the MSM talking about how we are putting an impeached judge as the leader of our House to protect America
Holt is not only clean, as opposed to the other two, he is also intelligent and experienced, and for the icing on the cake, he is not a blue dog democrat and we can expect Progressive values leading the HPSCI
However, only a few editorialists are covering this, we need to get the word out...just like we are against Jefferson (even though he hasn't been convicted of anything) it would be a powerful message if we all rallied behind Holt and used all our political pressure to nudge him over the hurdle
I don't have access to the hill, but I've already called my Congressman and told him to tell our Speaker to support Holt, we all know there is access to the Hill from this website...I've done mine part, will you join me and do yours?
UPDATE: Reyes also seems to be a good candidate, however again, is this getting picked up...on "This Week" just this Sunday Steny Hoyer looked like he agreed with the host that it was a choice between Hastings and Harman
This is not what we need as the story, and we do NOT need DEMOCRATS going on major networks acting like this is the choice...the people need to know about Reyes and Holt, again, will you help me?