Goldfarb struggles to preserve his disintegrating White House base threat story
In a December 16 post, Weekly Standard blogger Michael Goldfarb defended the accuracy of his report that the White House is "threatening to close" Nebraska's Offutt Air Force Base "to extort" Sen. Ben Nelson's vote on health care reform -- denied by both the White House and Nelson's office -- by pointing to a request by 20 Republican senators for a congressional investigation of his report. But a Nebraska newspaper reported on December 17 that Nelson's fellow Nebraska senator, Mike Johanns, said he signed on to the request even though he doesn't believe Goldfarb's story is true and Goldfarb's blog post follows his retraction of his prior claim that White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel had personally issued such a "threat."
Goldfarb cites senators' call for investigation to bolster story -- but one of those senators says he doesn't believe it
Goldfarb uses "presumably well sourced" senators' call for investigation to prop up story. From Goldfarb's December 16 post:
Twenty Republican senators have requested that the Senate Armed Services Committee launch an investigation into reports that the Obama White House threatened to close Nebraska's Offutt Air Force base unless Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson fell into line on health care. Those reports first appeared on this blog. In the letter to Senators [Carl] Levin and [John] McCain, the committee chairman and ranking member, the 20 ask that "a hearing be held as to whether the BRAC [Base Realignment and Closure] process has been compromised."
Meanwhile, both Nelson and the White House strenuously deny the allegation. A statement from White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer asserts "This rumor is absolutely false, as the people spreading it well know. This is nothing but a cynical, crass political game that is designed to maintain the status quo. Let's be clear: the people spreading these falsehoods think nothing is wrong with a system under which families and businesses continue to bear the brunt of skyrocketing costs, insurance companies are allowed to discriminate and drop at will, and thousands of Americans lose their coverage every single day."
They protest a little too much. I do not know this story is "absolutely false." To the contrary, I'm confident it's true. Twenty senators are now calling for an investigation, and each is presumably pretty well sourced in the Senate. If the charges are "absolutely false," maybe the White House will encourage Senate Democrats to call this Republican bluff. I won't hold my breath.
Nelson's fellow Nebraska senator reportedly says he supports investigation even though he doesn't believe story. In a December 17 article, the Omaha World-Herald reported:
Sen. Mike Johanns and 19 other Republican senators Wednesday called for a hearing into reports that the Obama administration used the future of Offutt Air Force Base as bargaining chip in the health care debate.
[...]
Even Johanns himself said he doesn't believe the rumors.
"When Senator Nelson says it didn't happen, I trust Senator Nelson. I have no reason not to trust him," Johanns said.
It is true that Nelson is one of the last Democratic holdouts on the health care bill and that he has been in ongoing discussions with the White House. Conservative pundits have cited anonymous sources saying that the White House threatened to close Offutt, home of U.S. Strategic Command, if Nelson did not support the bill.
Johanns said the rumors have reached a level where people in Nebraska are wondering if they're valid.
"It's kind of taken on a life of its own and I think that is very unfortunate," Johanns said. "So, my hope is that the White House will respond and say 'This is not how we make these kinds of decisions.'"
[...]
But Johanns said the White House needs to work directly with senators.
"The White House can work with us and say 'Look, folks, this did not happen. We're happy to appear before whatever committee,'" Johanns said. "I think that really does put this to rest."
Goldfarb's "presumably well-sourced" senators cited "media reports," not personal knowledge, in calling for investigation. In their December 16 letter to Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) and ranking member John McCain (R-AZ), the senators stated that "various media reports have stated that the Obama administration would put Offitt AFB in southeastern Nebraska on a future BRAC list because of a vote on healthcare reform." They did not cite any personal knowledge that those reports were accurate.
Goldfarb previously retracted claim that Emanuel issued the purported "threat"
On Weekly Standard blog, Goldfarb does not identify who in the White House issued the purported "threat." In his December 15 Weekly Standard blog post, Goldfarb did not specifically state who in the White House had purportedly issued the threat, or to whom it had been issued. Goldfarb cited a single anonymous "Senate aide," whom he did not identify by party and offered no explanation as to how this aide would be privy to such information. From Goldfarb's post:
According to a Senate aide, the White House is now threatening to put Nebraska's Offutt Air Force Base on the BRAC list if Nelson doesn't fall into line.
Offutt Air Force Base employs some 10,000 military and federal employees in Southeastern Nebraska. As our source put it, this is a "naked effort by Rahm Emanuel and the White House to extort Nelson's vote." They are "threatening to close a base vital to national security for what?" asked the Senate staffer.
Indeed, Offutt is the headquarters for US Strategic Command, the successor to Strategic Air Command, and not by accident. STRATCOM was located in the middle of the country for strategic reasons. Its closure would be a massive blow to the economy of the state of Nebraska, but it would also be another example of this administration playing politics with our national security.
On Beck's radio show, Goldfarb says "Rahm Emanuel delivered a message" that Offutt would be closed if Nelson opposed health care. On the December 16 edition of Glenn Beck's radio show, Goldfarb stated: "As I understand it, Rahm Emanuel delivered a message to the Senate leadership that if Nelson did not get behind this, Offutt Air Force base would find itself on the next round of BRAC closures." He also said: "I have 100 percent confidence in my source on this, and, of course, the Nelson people have every reason to deny it." Goldfarb went on to say that "at the end of the day, the United States cannot survive without this base, so what they're basically threatening is to destroy the economic livelihood of a wide swath of Nebraska."
On Beck's Fox News show, Goldfarb retracts claim that Emanuel made threat, but says "we know for certain" that the "White House put in a call." On the December 16 edition of his Fox News program, Beck asked Goldfarb if he had "changed the story," because "now, the story is that it's just the -- someone in the White House" who issued the purported threat, not Emanuel. Goldfarb replied:
GOLDFARB: Look, what happened was, I got a call yesterday, and a source of mine at the Senate told me that Ben Nelson's office had gotten a call threatening to put Offutt Air Force Base on the BRAC list if he did not play ball on this vote.
Subsequently, that -- I put that up quickly. He told me, "Look, this is obviously a naked play by Rahm Emanuel." And that was the exact quote I had in the story. And as interest in this story continued, I went back to my source and I got more details. And the one thing we know for certain is that the White House put in a call.
Nelson's office, White House have denied rumor
Nelson spokesman: "The rumor is not true." On December 15, the Omaha World-Herald quoted Nelson spokesman Jake Thompson saying, "The rumor is not true. ... This misinformation is coming from inside-the-Beltway partisans who only want to derail health care reform."
Pfeiffer: "[T]hese rumors are completely baseless and false." From a December 15 blog post by White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer:
Proving that they will leave no stone unturned in their efforts to undermine health reform, some blogs opposing reform are now trafficking an absurd rumor that Nebraska's Offutt Air Force Base is being threatened over Senator Ben Nelson's vote on the Senate reform bill.
To be perfectly clear: these rumors are completely baseless and false.
Thanks for your time.
Goldfarb is a known fibber.
Goldfarb is a known fibber."
LMFAO!! What a typical response from a liar. OF COURSE we all "know!" Sheesh!!! Loser ...
When exactly was Offutt Air Force Base shut down and Ben Nelson's knees broken with a baseball bat?
What are some of the other examples, I wonder? Actually, I don't wonder, because I know that there aren't any other examples.
That comment above is the telling one. He's so biased that he thinks that the White House might threaten something like this.
First off, Goldfarb, that's your side's M.O., not our side's! Your side forced lobbying firms to hire Republicans in order to have their views aired. Your side hired people for non-partisan jobs based upon the potential employee's political persuasions! Your side threatened federal prosecutors in order to get politically-motivated witch hunts completed!
Secondly, the White House doesn't submit bases for potential closure, dum-dum. It's not an option for the Dept of Defense to consider a nomination by the White House - they have criteria for base closures, and nominations are not one of them.
They look at military value, cost savings, impact on the local community, alternative locations for the missions, and environmental impacts.
Your argument is odd.
Your argument is just silly.
As the conservative Heritage Foundation notes, "Realignment and closure decisions are not made arbitrarily. The Pentagon, Congress, and the BRAC commission adhere to a predetermined set of criteria to guide them through the process."
Coulda, shoulda, woulda is a really crappy argument.
As such, pertaining to this issue, President Obama could not threaten to close the Air Base as Goldfarb suggests because the President can't do that. There are in fact measures in place to prevent such backroom dealing.
Yet here you are at 5:22 saying that you'd argue that Obama wouldn't do it, and you can't understand why we aren't arguing that way?
What is your problem? Really - this is not rocket science, yet you still can't figure it out after it's been explained to you by multiple people multiple times over several hours on a couple of different threads?
But no, there are no formal procedures that can be eaily bent or negotiated around. There is NO possibility that any President can nominate a base for closure. They're picked based upon specific criteria.
So both are true. And any reasonable argument is going to include both the fact that Obama can't do it and wouldn't do it.
And I made both arguments at 2:15 pm.
You fool. You absolute, idiotic fool.
It was President BUSH (43) that nearly demanded Congress and the Senate do his bidding.
Finally, what part of both of the aggreived parties (the Senator and the WH) denying the allegations do you not understand? And who are these 20 senators? And since the allegations were made against the WH, that means that whoever brought the allegations must prove they are true. The "preponderance of the evidence" is an unfounded rumor. And the only reason this story has any traction is the "if true, it would be devestating". Kind of like trying to get traction on ice with a alcohol dragster.
We know it is possible for you to sell cocaine. Based on that possibility should we then assume that you do so?
For the record, I don't believe they WOULD because the risk of the potential political fallout from a failed effort wouldn't justify the gain. I could argue it on the basis of right and wrong, but that's so subjective that it would only be opening a can of worms. As far as if the WH COULD do it, it would be extremely difficult and, again, politically risky to the point of not being worth the attempt.
The whole story simply fails the sniff test. I don't believe any such threat occurred.
You say "So your argument LuSueLu is that the White House can't do this, not they they wouldn't do it?"
First, I'm not one of the posters that previously have made you wet your pants - clearly I do that now, but too bad, so sad.
Secondly, what did I say specifically that totally demolishes your argument?
What are some of the other examples, I wonder? Actually, I don't wonder, because I know that there aren't any other examples.
That comment above is the telling one. He's so biased that he thinks that the White House might threaten something like this.
First off, Goldfarb, that's your side's M.O., not our side's! Your side forced lobbying firms to hire Republicans in order to have their views aired. Your side hired people for non-partisan jobs based upon the potential employee's political persuasions! Your side threatened federal prosecutors in order to get politically-motivated witch hunts completed!
So, not only did I explain why they can't do it, but I said that they wouldn't do it! Our side doesn't behave that way, I said. Goldfarb thinks that the Obama White House would do it, but that's only because his side would do it! What else did I say? That there aren't any examples of my side ever doing something like this for political gain. If that doesn't say that I think that they wouldn't do it in this case too, nothing does.
Yet YOUR interpretation is that I didn't say that they wouldn't do it?
What a dishonest, disingenuous, ridiculously flaky argument from you!
I don't care a flip about "sides," but having witnessed BRAC in action, first hand, I know how it works and it would be completely ridiculous for the false scenario you presented to even be a thought by anyone.
I accurately portrayed you for all to see - your insincere and inept depiction of me as having a raw nerve exposed by your post is laughable! It's you whose argument was demolished, and whose personal attack reply shows that YOUR raw nerve was exposed!
I addressed the content of your post, demolished it, and then described you as a dishonest hack based upon that disgraced attempt at an argument from you!
That would be you who is exposing your personal animus. Instead of admitting you were wrong, off base, insincere, you make another personal attack. That's you cranking out the claws when you're exposed.
You missed very clear indications in my post that stated unequivocally that not only couldn't the White House do what they're accused of doing, but that they wouldn't do it either. You pretended that I didn't include the second part in order to try to derail the thread that way! Because that's why you do - derail threads to try to distract us. And it tees you off that on a regular basis I successfully point it out when you do that.
For crying out loud you could get 20 Republican senators calling for an investigation by just saying Obama.
"At least a half-dozen Republican senators and representatives are planning to head to Denmark next week, as part of the overall U.S. congressional delegation, which includes plenty of Democrats as well.
But the Republicans have a markedly different agenda".
ENDED UP WITH INHOFE BY HIMSELF TALKING TO ONE REPORTER AND GOING HOME IN 3 HOURS
That's why President Obama called out FoxNews, because we need to stop their nonsense from getting credibility it doesn't deserve! Our nation wastes too much time refuting lies, distortions and omissions that shouldn't get the legitimacy they get.