Memos: Destroying C.I.A. Tapes Wasn’t Opposed by Republican Senator Pat Roberts

By GottaLaff

Qeqzadjkwrksdazttt!!!

At a closed briefing in 2003, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee raised no objection to a C.I.A. plan to destroy videotapes of brutal interrogations, according to secret documents released Monday.

The senator, Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas, also rejected a proposal to have his committee conduct its own assessment of the agency’s harsh interrogation methods, which included wall-slamming and waterboarding, the documents say.

But Mr. Roberts, through a spokesman, denied having approved the destruction of the videotapes, which is under criminal investigation, and defended his record in overseeing the interrogation program.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, a very special WTF moment:

“Senator Roberts listened carefully and gave his assent,” the C.I.A. memo says.

Of course he did. And after he listened carefully, too.

So what can be done?

A prosecutor, John H. Durham, is trying to determine whether it violated court orders to preserve evidence related to detention and interrogation or violated any laws.

Last August, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. directed Mr. Durham to expand his inquiry to consider whether the interrogations themselves broke any law.

Of course, this isn't surprising, but it's still jaw-dropping.

Yeah. We're all thinking the same thing here.

Much more at this link.

UPDATE: I should have added this in:

The same document says that Senator Bob Graham of Florida, the Democrat who had preceded Mr. Roberts as chairman, had proposed that the committee “undertake its own ‘assessment’ of the enhanced interrogation,” the C.I.A.’s term for coercive methods. Agency officials told Mr. Roberts that they would oppose allowing any Senate staff members to observe interrogations or visit the secret overseas prisons where they were taking place.

Emptywheel (Marcy Wheeler) pointed out to me that "more importantly, Roberts shut down Bob Graham's efforts to actually exercise oversight torture. We knew he approved tape destruction."

Thank you Marcy.

More from Marcy, who scooped the Times, here.

Sotomayor Gets Her First ‘Nay’ Vote: Pat Roberts

By GottaLaff

The Party of No gets revved up via a Big Hey-I'm-A-Marine Blowhard:

[O]n Thursday morning, Senator Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas, apparently became the first senator to say aloud that he would vote against her confirmation.

On a KCMO-AM radio program back home in Kansas City Thursday morning, the host Chris Stigall asked Senator Roberts whether he would feel forced to vote for Ms. Sotomayor to avoid being labeled a “bigot.”

“I’m a Marine and nothing much scares me,” said Senator Roberts, a Republican. “That’s not going to be a consideration in my vote.”

Wow, I never realized what a macho guy Roberts was! A Marine qualifies him to vote down a qualified Latina for the Supremes! Gosharootie, that does take balls!

Earlier this week, he seemed to indicate that he would wait until he had time to further review her record. But on the radio program this morning, Senator Roberts said that he wasn’t inclined to reverse his opposition from 1998, when he and 28 other Republicans voted against her confirmation to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. He continued:

“I voted no in 1998. I did not feel that she was appropriate on the Appeals Court. Since that time she has made statements on the role of the Appeals Court that I think is improper and incorrect.

“I think that we should be judging people not on race and gender or background or ethnicity or a very telling story. There are a lot of people that have that. My goodness, Clarence Thomas had that, and look what he got.

[...]

“With all due respect to the nominee and nothing personal, I do not plan to vote for her.”

Administration officials and fellow lawyers assert that her comments about how appeals courts can make policy have been misinterpreted.

I used to be a Girl Scout, so it doesn't scare me to say that Roberts is a dufus.

Democrat Jim Slattery's Ad Against Republican Pat Roberts In Kansas

Oh my. Memorable at the least.

Added- Hahaha, snort, guffaw- from the comments at the Fix-

TALK ABOUT YOUR TRICKLE-DOWN ECONOMICS!

EIGHTH Republican Senator to skip convention

By GottaLaff

Dropping like flies that are felled by the McCain stench:

From NBC's Doug Adams
Sen. Pat Roberts (KS) is now the eighth Republican senator to announce that they will not attend the GOP Convention in St. Paul, Minn., next month.

Roberts spokeswoman told the Topeka Capital Journal today that Roberts will be campaigning that week, finishing up his 105 county statewide tour during the convention week.

Four others who've announced they won't be attending are -- Ted Stevens (AK), Elizabeth Dole (NC), Gordon Smith (OR), and Susan Collins (ME). All are running for re-election and are in close races. (Collins may have the easiest race, but she's never been a close ally of McCain.)

Three other GOP senators who are retiring this year have also said they'll skip the St. Paul festivities -- Larry Craig (ID), Chuck Hagel (NE) and Wayne Allard (CO).

And the list could grow. Two more GOP senators locked in tough re-election races -- John Sununu (NH) and Roger Wicker (MS) are still undecided about attending.

Maybe they could save some of that $10 million and switch locations to a broom closet. They'd only need one balloon.