Senator Kyl, Battered Wife

by emptywheel

Apologies to battered wives out there ... but it's time for Arizona residents to start asking Senator Kyl whether he represents them, the citizens of Arizona, or whether he's just a tool serving the power hungry overreach of the Administration.

Via ThinkProgress, CBS reports that Senator Kyl is the guy who put an secret hold on provisions updating FOIA. You see, open government groups want to give FOIA a little bit more teeth. But at the behest of the Justice Department--the Justice Department!--Kyl is preventing the updates to FOIA.

Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., says the Justice Department is concerned that it could force them to reveal sensitive information.

In a statement Thursday, Kyl said the agency's "uncharacteristically strong" opposition is reason enough to think twice about the legislation, and he will block a vote until both sides can work out the differences.

[snip]

The Justice Department objects strenuously to several provisions. Chief among them is a section that would eliminate exemptions allowing the government to deny access to privileged or law-enforcement sensitive information.

Senator Kyl just got dissed pretty badly by DOJ and the Bush Administration. We know that Senator Kyl was "significantly disturbed over the Charlton issue." Then, just a few weeks later, when he and John McCain submitted just one candidate (Diane Humetewa) to replace Charlton, BushCO told the very conservative Republican Senators from Arizona to fuckoff. The Bush Administration has made it very clear to Senator Kyl that they don't give a hoot about Arizona's need to have a professional USA, they don't give a hoot about naming the most qualified person to replace Charlton (it probably has to do with the fact that Humetewa is Hopi, so she's probably unlikely to go along with Administration plans to disenfranchise Native Americans).

So after getting used, badly, by the Administration on this whole DOJ fiasco, Senator Kyl is still willing to do their bidding to prevent any meaningful oversight over DOJ.

Make no mistake, Senator Kyl's hold and DOJ's "uncharacteristically strong" opposition has everything to do with the Administration's illegal wiretapping programs. They don't want us citizens to know how they're tapping our calls. Apparently, Kyl believes his job on the Senate Judiciary Committee is to ensure that no one ever gets to exercise oversight over the department that has repeatedly used him badly.

So if you happen to call Kyl's office, you might ask one of two questions. First, you might ask Kyl why he is willing to single-handedly scuttle oversight of DOJ even after they treated Kyl personally and Arizona more generally with utter contempt. Second, you might ask why Kyl, alone of all Senators, has taken a stance that enables DOJ to continue to trample our civil liberties.

Comments

[AZ Matt]

Kyl is, has been, and always will be, a douchebag. Unfortunately Arizona Dems can't get it together enough to unseat this guy. Hell, I work here on the Hopi Rez but I can't get involved in denouncing this turkey publically due to my employment but I can suggest maybe Diane didn't get the USA position cuz DoJ don't like Indians. And DoJ and the US Forest Service proved that yesterday when they filed an appeal on the Arizona Snowbowl decision that the Tribes won in the 9th Circuit Court to prevent artificial snowmaking on the peaks north of Flagstaff.

[tekel]

ew: So if you happen to call Kyl's office, you might ask one of two questions.

And when you call, you should say "Hi" to Alberto, Poindexter, Rove, and Big Time, because you know they're all getting a transcript of what you say to make sure that Kyl toes the line. I wonder what they're blackmailing him with to hold him to this line?

Could it be:
(1) Debbie Palfrey's dead hookers in his trunk
(2) Bribes from Abramoff (does he have a boat called "the Kylster?")
(3) Teh Ghey

I'm going to go with door #1 because it's more salacious. So that's a third question to ask: "Senator Kyl, are you being blackmailed by the White House? If you are, but you can't say yes because they're listening, cough three times then hang up the phone..."

[calvinthecat]

calvin's hypothesis for Kyl's being the lone gunman is that he is putting his finger in the dike for other GOPers who would be too embarrassed to do so. In other words, it might affect their campaigns.

He is no more a lone gunman than was Lee Harvey Oswald. There are unidentified co-conspirators. Let's start with Rove.

[bmaz]

I adopt everything Matt said above, and will not that that basically means the SnoBowl is dead, because it simply doesn't snow that much there anymore. I am not sure why, because my government tells me global warming is a hoax. Now, EW I've told you all about Kyl before, did you really need to ask the question above? Kyl sucks. It is embarrassing for an Arizonan. But hey, on the bright side, we have McCain. Yeah, well, nevermind........

[shaker o' salt]

Arizona's always had freaking awful folks holding offices. Must be the desert or something that dries out their brain cells.

[oldtree]

the phone is not being answered. wonder why?
this is a serious obstruction of justice issue, and the senator may find an arrest warrant for such openly criminal behavior. really, put this in order. senator issues hold on bill to protect justice department from having to release documents about criminal behavior concerning the abuse of the rights of the american people. Is there any more classic obstruction of justice than this?

what a fine man he is, hmm?

[katymine]

Kyl has never represented Arizona, only his own interests but isn't that a typical Repug?

Kyl was on the local news complaining about all the BAD things callers are saying who are calling into his office about his support of the immigration bill. Oh lordy the wingers really have their panyhose in a bunch over that! ROFLMAO with whiny Kyl getting the full winger treatment.

[terryinaz]

Ditto what Katymine said. There's no point in trying to get to either of our illustrious senators. They don't care, never have. And yes, we have certainly had more than our share of wretched representation, but I've noticed that the crazies have a way of getting elected all over this country--which says something about our citizenry, hm?