Senator Tom Coburn Apologizes to Senate Majority Leader for Calling Him “Incompetent”
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, apologized Monday on the floor of the U.S. Senate to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada.
A Coburn spokesman said the apology was for statements Coburn made on C-SPAN.
Here’s what Coburn said on a C-SPAN call-in show on July 19:
“If you want to ask why the Senate isn’t working, it’s one reason; it’s called Harry Reid _ incompetent and incapable of carrying on the tradition of the Senate.”
Here’s what Coburn said Monday:
“Madam President, I wished to come to the floor to talk about two or three subjects.…
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Outside Groups Line Up on Bacharach Vote
Some outside groups are watching the Senate’s vote scheduled for Monday on advancing U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert E. Bacharach past a Republican filibuster toward confirmation on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The conservative group Heritage Action, a sister organization of the Heritage Foundation think tank, is urging senators to hold the Republican line. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is advocating for Bacharach’s confirmation.
Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said this:
“The filibuster against Magistrate Judge Robert Bacharach is preposterous.…
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The Behenna Case
There have been strong feelings expressed to The Oklahoman _ through letters, emails and story comments on NewsOK _ in regard to the case of 1st Lt. Michael Behenna, who is serving a 15-year sentence for unpremeditated murder in a combat zone for killing an Iraqi civilian in 2008.
The Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces upheld his conviction and sentence earlier this month. The opinion is below. It provides a chronology of the events in the Iraqi desert that night and the legal arguments flowing from Behenna’s court martial.…
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Sen. Bernie Sanders to take Sen. Jim Inhofe and GOP to Task on Climate Change
UPDATE: Sanders has been on the Senate floor for more than 45 minutes challenging Inhofe’s statements and view on climate change. Inhofe stood up at 2:50 p.m. central time to ask for time to respond to Sanders’ comments. Inhofe will likely begin speaking momentarily.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, is scheduled to give a speech in the U.S. Senate at 2 p.m. central time challenging Sen. Jim Inhofe’s view that man-made global warming is a “hoax.”
In a press release, Sanders says it is a mistake for those who take climate change seriously to dismiss Inhofe, R-Tulsa, because the Republican Party follows him on the issue.…
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UPDATE: Oklahoma Judge’s Fate Could Come Down to Republican Sens. Coburn, Inhofe
UPDATE: Sens. Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn voted “present,” which is like not voting at all or voting “no,” depending on your viewpoint. Bacharach’s nomination is not going to be advanced.
It’s possible that Republican Sens. Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe could determine whether U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert E. Bacharach, of Edmond, is confirmed to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Neither is saying whether they will vote on Monday to break the Republican blockade that has kept the Senate from confirming the magistrate, who has been endorsed by both Coburn and Inhofe and won overwhelming approval last month in the Senate Judiciary Committee.…
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Reps. James Lankford and Tom Cole to Hold Events About Taxes on Friday
With a vote scheduled in the House next week on extending the so-called Bush tax cuts, Reps. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, and Tom Cole, R-Moore, have scheduled public events on Friday to discuss tax policy.
The House vote will be another symbolic one. The Senate cast two such votes on Wednesday. The partisan divide in Congress is expected to delay agreement on the expiring tax cuts until after the November elections.
Here are details of the lawmakers’ appearances:
Lankford’s event will begin at 12:20 p.m.…
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Herriman Corrects Campaign Finance Reports
Wayne Herriman, the Muskogee Democrat running for Congress in the eastern Oklahoma district being vacated by Rep. Dan Boren, has amended three of his campaign finance reports to reflect his election cycle totals. Herriman filed amendments with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday for reports running from last October through June 7.
In the previous filings, Herriman had listed his contributions, loans and expenditures for the relevant period, but entered 0s in the column meant to show his cumulative totals.
As of Friday morning, Herriman had yet to amend his latest report, which was filed late last week, to show his running totals.…
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Rep. Dan Boren Suffers Back Injury
Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, suffered a back injury that will keep him back in Oklahoma this week. Boren’s office said Tuesday that the congressman is resting at home and will not be able to travel to Washington.…
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Wayne Herriman’s Problems With Campaign Finance Reporting
Democrat Wayne Herriman is new to politics, and even long-time incumbents sometimes make errors in filing campaign finance reports. But Herriman, of Muskogee, who is now in a run-off with Rob Wallace, of Fort Gibson, for the 2nd District congressional seat seems to be the only one of the Oklahoma newcomers running for Congress continually filing reports that fail to list his fundraising and expenditure totals for the entire election cycle.
Each time a candidate files a report, he or she must report their activities for that period, typically three months, and also give a running total of how much they’ve raised and spent since their candidacy began.…
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Sen. Tom Coburn: Grover Norquist Not the Problem
Sen. Tom Coburn, who engaged in some high-profile battles last year with tax opponent Grover Norquist, says in a column in the New York Times that Norquist isn’t an impediment to a grand deficit-reducing plan but that Democrats are. …
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