Don’t you just LOVE expressing your opinions to your representatives in Washington? Every single time I write, I get the typical canned response that basically says, “Thank you for expressing your thoughts, but I don’t give a rip.”
I swear a politician will stand by their actions right or wrong until they die. It’s sad, really.
I recently got this from Senator Dick Durbin. I think the Senator needs to look into his email bot, as his canned reply took several weeks to get back to me.
February 25, 2005
Dear Mr. Brad:
Thank you for letting me know of your opposition to the nomination of Condoleezza Rice as the U.S. Secretary of State.
I voted with 12 of my Senate colleagues against Dr. Rice’s nomination to replace Colin Powell as head of the State Department. I was particularly troubled by Dr. Rice’s role in advancing the Bush Administration’s faulty rationale for invading Iraq, and by her refusal to accept responsibility for helping mislead our nation into war.
I also was deeply concerned by Dr. Rice’s opposition to my amendment to the 2004 Intelligence Reform Act prohibiting U.S. intelligence agencies from using torture. Acting on behalf of the White House, Dr. Rice sent a message to the House-Senate conference committee objecting to this amendment, which unequivocally condemned the use of torture, and the provision was removed from the final version of the bill. Dr. Rice’s objection to this effort to reaffirm our nation’s commitment to human rights and the rule of law raised grave questions in my mind about whether she was the right person to represent our nation to the rest of the world.
Despite her distinguished career and formidable intellect, I could not overlook these very troubling aspects of Dr. Rice’s record. America has lost a voice of moderation with the retirement of Colin Powell. I hope that the responsibilities of leadership will inspire Condoleezza Rice to follow his example.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me. Please feel free to stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator
Thanks for writing, but me an my 12 colleagues who know better than you and 82 other senators, including Hillary Clinton. We’re right, you’re wrong, have a nice day.
