The Secret Hold

Who is applying the "secret hold" to S. 2590, the Federal Funding  Accountability and Transparency Act?  The Washington Times and Fox News are in on the act.  From the Wash Times:

t's a sign of just how hot an issue pork-barrel spending has become that the biggest game in political Washington this summer is trying to smoke out the senator who is blocking a bill to create a searchable database of federal contracts and grants.

The bill has the support of the Bush administration and activists on widely divergent sides of the political spectrum. It also passed a Senate committee without any objections, so the unknown senator is annoying many people.

Sponsored by Sens. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, and Barack Obama, Illinois Democrat, the bill would require the administration to create a searchable Web site that would list the name and amount of any federal grant, contract or other award of money amounting to $25,000 or more.

Glenn Reynolds has been leading the charge from Porkbusters and now Josh Marshall and the TPM Muckrakers have opened fire from the opposite flank.  The scorecards as compiled by the MuckMen (and Women!) is here.

This has not yet reached the "All The News That's Fit To Print" threshold yet, but who knows?  (Actually, I am wondering whether they will discover that Richard Armitage has been tagged in the Plame investigation - nothing so far.)

What's missing is a proper betting pool  - my money would be on Robert Byrd as the secret holder, mainly because he is a traditionalist and the King of Pork.

That said, my guess is the hold will be mysteriously lifted and we will never know who placed it, or why.  The World's Greatest Deliberative Body, indeed.

Comments

[lurker]

I came across this at one of the blogsites but I don't remember which.

We need to know who placed the secret hold on this.

Heading over to Captain's Quarters to see if he or Heritage had a thing to say about this.

Tis no wonder my brother likes Coburn.

[lurker]

And to complicate this, check this!!

[jerry]

My bet is Senator Bridge to Nowhere.

[clarice]

Heck, why all the mystery? Let the word out it's classified information because it will reveal means and methods to the enemy and the answer will be on the front pages of the NYT and Wa Po within 24 hours.

[Sue]

Trent Lott.

[Sue]

Actually, my bet is on a democrat. Othewise, it would have already been leaked.

[Aaron Adams]

jerry is right. Although Byrd may hold the lifetime achievment award due to his longevity , the true and current reigning King is without question Sen Ted Stevens (R-AK):

http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reports_pigbook2005

[topsecretk9]

Actually, my bet is on a democrat. Othewise, it would have already been leaked.

Sue makes an excellent point!

[AMDG]

Lott

[Larry Jones]

It has to be Ted Stevens.

[MayBee]

Stabenow.
Running for reelection.
Can't count on the governor's coattails.
Levin isn't saying anything, so that gives her cover.
Pretty unremarkable Senator, may need the earmarks to distinguish herself.
Terrible fashion sense.

[Rick Ballard]

MayBee,

Good choice, I would toss in Sarbanes on a 'nothing to lose' basis. What might be gained is, of course, subject to speculation.

[MayBee]

If it can't be Stabenow, I would lean toward a Gulf Coast Senator (Lott?). You know, in case $77 Bil just isn't enough.

[sam]

At long last, have you no shame.

08/28/06 NPR: Spike in Violence Shatters Calm in Iraq

08/28/06 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Spc. Edgardo Zayas, 29

08/28/06 DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
Cpl. David G. Weimortz, 28

08/28/06 AP: Guardsman dies of accident injuries

08/28/06 NYTimes: Group of Iraqi Soldiers Refuses to Go to Baghdad

08/28/06 VOI: Mortars hit U.S. consulate in Hilla

08/28/06 Reuters: Toll from Baghdad suicide bomb hits 13

08/28/06 Centcom: 4 MND-B SOLDIERS KILLED BY ROADSIDE BOMB

08/28/06 AP: Roadside bomb kills 1 barbershop worker, wounds 4

08/28/06 Reuters: Roadside bomb policeman in Baghdad

08/28/06 Reuters: Four bodies found in Baghdad

08/28/06 Reuters: 25 Iraqi soldiers killed in Diwaniya

08/28/06 Centcom: MND-B SOLDIER KILLED BY SMALL-ARMS FIRE

08/28/06 Reuters: Four policemen killed in Mosul

08/28/06 AFP: Southern Iraq security deteriorating despite British troops

08/28/06 WaPo: 7 Iraqi civilians killed in battle between US forces and insurgents

08/28/06 WaPo: Violent attacks surge north of Iraq's capital

08/28/06 Xinhua: 2 car bombs rock S Baghdad neighborhood, killing 5

08/28/06 AFP: Suicide bomber hits Iraqi ministry amid insurgent blitz

08/28/06 AP: 4 U.S. soldiers killed by bomb in Iraq

[topsecretk9]

Ace has a commenter that pegs Dodd

heir saying both Connecticut senators have been put on the "didn't do it" list. Here's a couple paragraphs from the TheDay.com. Lieberman press secretary Casey Aden-Wansbury says the senator did not block the bill he'd voted for in committee, and doesn't know who did.

And Colleen Flanagan, Dodd's press secretary, sounded a similar tune: "to the best of our knowledge," she wrote in an email, referring to other Dodd aides, "it was not Senator Dodd."

If it comes out that all senators deny it, I'd suspect Dodd, based on the secretary prefacing the denial with "to the best of our knowledge". Dodd hasn't really denied it.

If he had actually denied it, she wouldn't need the qualifing preface. Since it's a secret he couldn't tell her if he did put the hold. If she actually spoke with him about it, he must have given an ambiguous answer.

BTW if need to see how depraved Sam and the Democratic party is http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2477241&mesg_id=2477241”>They are thrilled with Galloway praising Hizbollah ...they LOVE the terrorists!

[Abu Al-Poopypants]

I don't see how it could be Stevens. I've looked all over the series of tubes and couldn't find anything. Maybe I'll sent his office an internet, and if it doesn't get tangled up with all these things going on the internet commercially, I'll get an answer.

[eric]

Interesting. This could be an issue that both left and right agree on. It sure stinks a lot.

I don't think it could be Trent Lott, though. Isn't he busy putting the final coat of paint on his porch for the party this weekend? It's a pretty big deal, Bush has been talking about going for a year.

[Daddy]

TM, I am convinced that the name of the culprit you seek is on a secret list in Lawrence O'Donnell's pocket.

[Brett Bellmore]

I'm betting that it's actually Frist. (Or maybe Reid, but there other reasons to think Frist.) He walked into the bathroom, made sure nobody was around, and privately asked himself to put a secret hold on the legislation.

Result: He gets to block legislation he doesn't really want, but can't afford to admit to opposing, by blaming somebody he conveniently can't name. And he doesn't have the slightest worry about the guilty Senator being exposed, and forced to back down, because literally nobody but him knows who that Senator is.

And it explains why he doesn't seem the least bit tempted to just ignore this "courtesy", which he is perfectly capable of doing if he wants to, if I understand the situation.

Is there something about the mechanics of a "secret hold" that would preclude this?

[Jane]

My money is on Stevens first, and Byrd second. But I'm secretly wishing it is Ted Kennedy - altho it's not like that would make a difference to the voters of MA.

[ed in texas]

That's not a secret hold,
that's the 'Robert Byrd Memorial Speedbump'.

[Michael]

Why are we only looking for the senator who actually placed the hold? He/she obviously had to make the request to at least one other senator (perhaps even a committee as a whole). We should be ratcheting up the pressure on those people as well. I don't give a crap that it's "secret". The people who know the secret and are keeping it are aiding and abetting.

So, what other senators are likely to know who the secret senator is?

[lurker]

Topsecret, don't forget that Noam shook hands with Nasrallah a few months before the recent war.

Actually, both parties have their share of earmarks and pork programs. That's why many people are unhappy with the Republicans, including me.

But I'm still voting Republican.

Why?

1. To prevent the impeachment process from starting. This will take time away from winning GWOT.

2. Supreme Court Nominees.

3. Fair and equitable tax cuts.

4. Maybe hope for the fair tax program.

[Steve]

Lott....he's been pissed ever since flapping his gums about Strom got his ass in trouble. Arrogant, pompous, self-serving....the ideal candidate for putting the hold on it.

[MikeT]

Normally I am not one to advocate a witch hunt or anything like that, but in this case, I have to make an exception. If and when this Senator is found out, it will be time for the public to pull out all of the stops. Bring in the PIs, dig up all the dirt possible and dump it on them in criminal and civil court. Make what Larry Flynt did to the Republicans during Clinton's impeachment look like a walk in the park by the time this Senator has been put through "the process."

[JM Hanes]

According to the Muckrackers tally, Saxby Chambliss is the only Senator who has refused outright to answer the question. Of course, if he's not the secret holder, that may change assuming the undesignated list gets whittled down to a very few. Hope the effort to establish who dunnit doesn't languish if the hold gets lifted.

There are the usual suspects, of course, but it could be anybody who's managed to get funding for something patently outrageous or of obvious personal benefit -- even if the amount is relatively small in the grand scheme of things. I'd go with the personal angle, because, like the bridge-to-nowhere, the Senators seem incapable of embarassment over the outlandish, as it were.

[Florence Schmieg]

Put this into the wrong (Karr) forum. Sorry.

Was thinking about the total waste of the stupid Plame investigation. How much did this distraction at the White House impact the Katrina response? Rove for sure was impacted, maybe others. Talk about unintended consequences of BDS!!

[lurker]

As for Katrina, I put the blame mostly on Nagin and that stupid state governor....Blanco.

As for the BDSers putting the blame on Bush, they had better start putting the blame on the previous hurricanes! Did you know that Pensacola is still reeling and recovering from its hurricane hits from two years ago. No, Pensacola hasn't rebuilt everything. No, Pensacola hasn't cleaned everything up.

And what about Rita? Where's the decry over that?

Give UP on Katrina!

I see Captain Quarters narrowing down to Ted Stevens, Trent Lott, and Byrd.

[lurker]

Problem with Katrina started long before Bush became our president.

one of the failed levies was not overtopped

"Paul at Wizbang has damning and clear evidence that one of the failed levies was not overtopped, as the media has claimed, but simply failed. It failed under conditions where the water was nowhere near the top of the levies. It failed because the levee was of a flawed design. This is not Bush’s fault, but does prove his concern about an early evacuation was warranted and how he was one of the few political leaders trying to do the right thing that day (not the least expensive). Good detective work Paul!"

Corp of Army Engineers had wanted to beef up these levies but were countered with lawsuits from environmentalists. The Corp ended up spending the budget allocated for levy repair on these frivolous lawsuits.

[lurker]

To counter spamming sam news, here's one positive for Bush:

Another Positive Sign For Bush

Gas price has gone down to about $2.65 where I live.

Here is our leftwingers will object:

Interesting Plea From DHS

Rumsfeld Fears Success Of Terrorist Propaganda Winning the war in Iraq but losing it in USA.

Nasrallah's Blunder

Let's hope he continues to lose. He is no longer safe in public places, btw.

[Michael]

Topsecret,

I just called Dodd's office, and the best I could get was "he has not made a statement at this time and has not current plans to".

I'm guessing he is close to this (either he placed the hold or knows/is allied with the one who did).

Keep the pressure on!

[blogRot]

I think its a Republican, based on the response from Sen Kay Bailey's (R-TX) office.

And gas prices in my (red)neck of the woods are @ $2.57

[Crust]

Looks like it's not Byrd, at least according to Porkbusters. http://porkbusters.org/secrethold.php
Ted Stevens is still available; it looks more and more like he must be the Senator in the window.

[JM Hanes]

Amazing. According to the Mucksters there are only
11 choices left:

Bond, Christopher S.- (R - MO)
Byrd, Robert C.- (D - WV)
Carper, Thomas R.- (D - DE)*
Chambliss, Saxby- (R - GA)*
Crapo, Mike- (R - ID)
Gregg, Judd- (R - NH)
Hatch, Orrin G.- (R - UT)
Reid, Harry- (D - NV)*
Rockefeller, John D., IV- (D - WV)
Sarbanes, Paul S.- (D - MD)
Stevens, Ted- (R - AK)

I'd go for Rockefeller or Hatch just to be contrary.

[Michael]

Given Bill Frist's blog post applauding and encouraging the blogosphere led inquiry into the identity of the Senator, I think it is more likely that the Senator is Democratic than Republican. Since a Senator placing a hold contacts their majority/minority leader based on their party, if it were a Republican, then Frist would know who it was already. Why would he be encouraging an inquiry which will only dammage his own party in November. Not to mention, that if it *is* a Republican and he did know about it, the post is going to make him look pretty foolish. Now, I don't agree with Frist on many things, but I *do* think he is far from foolish.

[jerry]

It's down to six according to the Muckies:

Sens. Robert Byrd (D-WV), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Ted Stevens (R-AK), and Robert Bennett (R-UT).

Stevens! Stevens! Stevens! ?

[JM Hanes]

Well the only Democrat left is Rbt Byrd. Considering the fact that Judd Gregg was first elected in 1992, and yet I had to look him up because I've never heard of him, maybe he's one of the folks who prefer working behind the curtain! OTOH, he apparently won $835,000 in the Powerball lottery, so he's not exactly needy. OTOtherOH, you could call that taking gambling money, no?

I see Senator Chambliss thought better of trying to sit this one out, and Rockefeller has passed go too -- keeping an even lower low profile than I suspected. Byrd & Stevens just seem so, well, predictable. I've really sort of been hoping for a surprise.

On the bright side, maybe they'll all say no, and we can spend the next couple of years trying to put a name to that mystery....

[Sue]

This is the most bullshit thing I have ever heard. They leak national security secrets like sieves and keep this one secret? Since when did we become a secret government? This is bullshit. The senator, republican or democrat, needs to be identified and the stupid rule needs to be abolished. We have every right to know what our money is being spent on and we have every right to know who doesn't want us to know.

[jerry]

Both Hatch and Bennet, good Utah solidarity there... might mean something. I'm still with Stevens, he was so d****ed determined about that bridge, and so vindictive toward Durbin afterwards.

[JM Hanes]

Down to three:

Mike Crapo (R-ID)
Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Ted Stevens (R-AK)

[jerry]

Judd Gregg?? That would be a surprise for me. Stealth-Senator Gregg, Ninja Judd.

[jerry]

It's Stevens:

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001445.php

I am the wiener!

[Aaron Adams]

Me Too!

[JM Hanes]

Weiner? Say it ain't so Jerry! Luckily, it's not:

Via Instapundit, Mark Tapscott reports that Coburn staff have just learned that "a Democrat senator has placed an anonymous hold on the bill." Do you suppose the Democrat stepped up to bat when it became clear that Stevens was going down -- in the hope that the blogosphere wouldn't have the energy to repeat the outing exercise?

Interesting that this time Frist's office was willing to specify a Democrat. File that tidbit away for future field trips, if any, on such matters.

[jerry]

That's "wiener" JM, and I am one, I'm told. :-)

If there's a Democrat it's got to be Byrd, one eye always looking backward... in the saucer where the spilt milk cools (or however it is that the Senate is described), and a giant raspberry to the bloggers/future.

Congrats also out to Aaron, and other fellow wieners!

[JM Hanes]

Well, seeing as it turned out to be Stevens on the R-side, you're probably right about the D- Byrd. Since he doesn't seem embarassed about bringing home bacon either, perhaps he would see reiterating the gesture as collegial & gallant. It looks like Stevens' hold was meant as payback for Coburn's attempt to stymie the Bridge to Nowhere -- which makes sense. He's not hiding $$, just viciousness.

I do find it hard to give up the image of some guy(gal) thinking he was home free, and then Oh No, here come da blogosphere! What to do? Wait till someone calls so you can issue your denial, then hie thee to the leader's office. Why waste such a nifty theory?

Or maybe -- you'll like this one! -- there's a whole conspiracy of holders prepared to outlast the blogosphere by stepping up to bat one at a time, short straws (or secure incumbents) first, or alternating from one side of the aisle to the other or....

Capt.Ed has been interviewing Bill Frist (more here and here if you're interested) who almost makes such holds sound reasonable and then in the next breath says: "Typically they don’t put a hold on because they don’t like the bill – it’s because they don’t like something else someone’s doing. It’s petty politics."

[JM Hanes]

Classic denouement: Both Stevens and Byrd put holds on the bill!

[jerry]

Damn them all, maybe we can arrange a duel - sounds like they're both pining for a shoot out with someone...

Stevens v. Coburn (Durbin?)
Byrd v. Obama

?

[jerry]

Byrd's dropped his (no longer secret) hold:

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001452.php

Looks like it's Stealthy Stevens v. Courageous Coburn now... the wily Stevens crouches in the brush as a powerful and vigorous Coburn strides the land....

[JM Hanes]

LOL! OK Shootout at the AL corral. I like it!

[jerry]

Hahaha.... It must be great to get these guys in the same room, some great movies/shows remain to be made. Thanks for the nice dialog JM.