By: Teddy Partridge Wednesday December 17, 2008 11:04 am

As a constituent of Senator Dianne Feinstein’s, I was excited to receive an email from her office today about Short Ride’s gavel at Homeland Security.

She provides a "kumbaya" explanation for letting Joe keep the gavel, blurs the distinctions between the legislative and executive branches by making the decision seem to be Barack Obama’s, and writes sternly about how the resolution condemns the statements Lieberman made while campaigning for St John McCain.

But there’s something missing from DiFi’s letter. Can you spot what she omitted?

Dear Mr. Partridge:

Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns regarding Senator Joseph Lieberman’s (ID-CT) retention of the chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The election of Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) to be President has started a new chapter in our history, and the President-elect has said that he wants to heal the divisions in this nation. He also made it clear that he does not want Senate Democrats to isolate Senator Lieberman for his actions during the campaign.

The Senate Democrats voted on November 19, 2008 to bring about reconciliation, not only within our caucus, but between Democrats and Republicans. We are trying to develop a more civil dialogue that will hopefully allow us to get more done on behalf of the American people. I believe we are on the right path to moving away from divisive partisan politics and towards a cooperative legislative body.

The resolution presented in the caucus passed by a vote of 42-13. Although the resolution condemned statements Senator Lieberman made while campaigning for Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and removed him from the Environment and Public Works Committee, he will continue to Chair the Homeland Security Committee and will remain a member of the Democratic caucus.

Once again, thank you for contacting me. Please feel free to contact my Washington, D.C. staff should you have any additional concerns at (202) 224-3841.

Sincerely yours,

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator

Can you tell how California’s senior Senator voted on the resolution?

Neither can I.

3 Comments

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3 Responses to “DiFi Writes a Letter about Holy Joe’s Gavel”

Teddy Partridge December 17th, 2008 at 11:17 am

Dugg right here; join me please!

BooRadley December 17th, 2008 at 11:24 am

Thanks Teddy, I was meaning to publish the letter I received from Herb Kohl. You gave me the perfect opportunity:

Thank you for contacting me about Senator Joe Lieberman’s role in the Democratic Caucus during the 111th Congress. Like many, I was acutley disappointed in the tone he took during the Presidential campaign. While a vigorous debate on the issues can be productive, many of his comments about the Democratic nominee were not.

Given that the background, many in our caucus were angry and ready to consider substantial sanctions. President-elect Obama, however, made very clear that he strongly desires a different tone in Washington–even where Sen. Lieberman is concerned.

With a great deal of respect for both President-elect Obama and Democratic caucus rules, I will not be revealing how I voted on the secret ballot concerning Sen. Lieberman’s chairmanships. Be assured, however, that I understand your frustration and will continue to working to discharge my duties as your Senator in a way that will move our country forward.

Sincerely,

BooRadley December 17th, 2008 at 11:25 am

Dugg.

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