by Robert Novak
Sen. Charles Schumer denied it, but word seeped out of the Democratic cloakroom that he was steaming over being rejected by the Senate on his earmark for a Woodstock museum -- in particular, the lack of help from his New York colleague, Sen. Hillary Clinton. Schumer and Clinton co-sponsored a $1 million earmark for the museum in Bethel, N.Y., at the site of the drug-laden 1969 Woodstock music festival. But Clinton did not go to the Senate floor to help out her fellow senator, and one of her aides said this was mainly Schumer's project. Schumer told me that he was not upset with Clinton and that he telephoned Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma to say there were no hard feelings. Earmarks are routinely approved for powerful legislators such as Schumer, a member of the Senate Democratic leadership. The Woodstock million lost, 52 to 42, after it was revealed that the museum's principal donor was a big contributor to Schumer and Clinton. Can one person change things? As evidenced by the above Oklahoma's US Senator Tom Coburn has made "business as usual" a thing of the past in the US Senate. Trying to sneak an earmark past Coburn is like getting a chicken leg past a preacher- it's not likely to happen!
Sen. Charles Schumer denied it, but word seeped out of the Democratic cloakroom that he was steaming over being rejected by the Senate on his earmark for a Woodstock museum -- in particular, the lack of help from his New York colleague, Sen. Hillary Clinton. Schumer and Clinton co-sponsored a $1 million earmark for the museum in Bethel, N.Y., at the site of the drug-laden 1969 Woodstock music festival. But Clinton did not go to the Senate floor to help out her fellow senator, and one of her aides said this was mainly Schumer's project. Schumer told me that he was not upset with Clinton and that he telephoned Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma to say there were no hard feelings. Earmarks are routinely approved for powerful legislators such as Schumer, a member of the Senate Democratic leadership. The Woodstock million lost, 52 to 42, after it was revealed that the museum's principal donor was a big contributor to Schumer and Clinton. Can one person change things? As evidenced by the above Oklahoma's US Senator Tom Coburn has made "business as usual" a thing of the past in the US Senate. Trying to sneak an earmark past Coburn is like getting a chicken leg past a preacher- it's not likely to happen!
Bob Novak and his Republican friends don't like Woodstock. You know why? They are scared. They are scared that if a half million people stood up today and protested the misguided war in Iraq, they might have to change their policy. And although many used Woodstock to register their protest about Vietnam, many there also later died or were wounded in Vietnam. They, too, were heroes. Republicans, and particularly Coburn and John McCain are not smart enough to realize that.
ReplyDeleteRich:
ReplyDeleteDo you seriously believe that was the reason that Coburn went after the Woodstock earmark? If so, you must be smoking some of the loco weed.
Steve