MIAMI (AP) A one-page unsigned memo that became part of the debate preceding Congress’ vote ordering a federal court review of the Terri Schiavo case originated in Florida Republican Sen. Mel Martinez’ office, Martinez said Wednesday.
The memo -- first reported by ABC News on March 18 and by The Washington Post and The Associated Press two days later -- said the fight over removing Schiavo’s feeding tube "is a great political issue ... and a tough issue for Democrats."
"This is an important moral issue and the pro-life base will be excited that the Senate is debating this important issue," said the memo, which was described at the time as being circulated among Senate Republicans.
[The Washington Post on Thursday observed that the memo had been declared a fake by conservative columnists and bloggers, some of whom likened it to the "60 Minutes" National Guard documents.]
Martinez said in a written statement he discovered Wednesday that the memo had been written by an aide in his office. "It is with profound disappointment and regret that I learned today that a senior member of my staff was unilaterally responsible for this document," Martinez said.
He said he accepted the resignation of the staffer, whom he did not identify, who drafted and circulated the memo. "This type of behavior and sentiment will not be tolerated in my office," he said.
"Until this afternoon, I had never seen it and had no idea a copy of it had ever been in my possession," Martinez said of the document. He had previously denied knowing anything about the memo and condemned its sentiments.
[section cut] Martinez, in his statement, said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, had asked for background information on the bill ordering a federal court to review the Schiavo case.
He said he pulled a one-page document from his coat pocket and handed to Harkin. "Unbeknownst to me ... I had given him a copy of the now infamous memo."
He said Harkin had called him earlier Wednesday to say he believes the memo had been given to him by Martinez. The Florida senator said he then ordered an internal investigation in his office.
Allison Dobson, a spokeswoman for Harkin, said the Iowa Democrat had received the memo from Martinez in the days leading up to passage of the bill.
So apparently, Senator Martinez(R, FL) handed Senator Harkin (D, IO) a copy of the memo! Not exactly a mastermind at work here.
I wonder how damaging this will be to Republican credibility, given that most Republican Senators swore they never saw the memo. Including Sen. Martinez, who claims to have never seen the document until yesterday, despite admitting having a copy weeks ago. Not exactly believeable.
Also, conservatives, including Fred Barnes and lots of right-wing bloggers have claimed the memo was a Democratic frame-up, with collusion from liberal media. Posts: 6316 | Registered: Jun 2003
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How many different memos does one have to have, simultaneously, in one's coat pocket not to know which one you gave to an opposing Senator?
Maybe he accidentally had a batch of them made up, so that he could, like, accidentally put them under the wiper blades of all the cars in the Congressional parking lot or something.
To be honest, it sounds like the staffer was the fall guy.
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You know, I'm actually rather astonished that Martinez admitted it, since pundits have gotten a lot of mileage out of the theory that it was some kind of hoax.
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Basically, it just described ways that the Republicans could profit politically by pretending to care about Schiavo.
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Does it say "pretending"? What is the memo trying to do, in its own terms, rather than the terms of its opposition?
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quote: "This is an important moral issue and the pro-life base will be excited that the Senate is debating this important issue,"
Is this the entire memo? Because I don't see anything very damaging. It was an important moral issue that pro-lifers would get excited about. I don't see any reason for anyone to be profoundly disappointed or regretfull, or for anyone else to be forced to resign. And this is me in the anti-feeding-tube camp saying that.
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Its another one of those things where people like to jump up and huff and make up conspiracy theories over nothing.
Posts: 832 | Registered: Jan 2005
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It's just one of those cases where it's embarrassing to politicians to be caught thinking like politicians. OF COURSE they weigh the political benefits and detriments of any position or course of action. They'd be idiotic and self-destructive not to. It doesn't imply that that is the basis on which they make their decisions (or at least not their sole basis), but they have to take these things into account.
The only sin here was that Martinez apparently had it stuck in a sheaf of "read this" stuff his staff gave him, and without having read it, he handed it to a Democrat. Martinez probably isn't lying for having said he never saw it - they carry around lots of paper they haven't read, for heaven's sake! - and the only problem is firing a staffer for the indiscretion of having a Senator so indiscreet as to hand an opponent a memo he hadn't read.
You can COUNT on it that in congressional offices all over washington, staffers are pulling political-oriented memos out of their bosses' file folders and burning them. THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.
OF course, the real rule they should follow is: If it is never in writing, it can never be printed.
That one goes along with: All recorders OFF for this conversation.
Again, though, keep in mind that seeing political advantage in the exploitation of an issue is standard operating procedure in every office in Washington on both sides of the aisle, and any press person who pretends to be shocked by it is a hypocrite. THEY DO IT TOO. That's what that stupid ABC News memo was all about during election season. Of course that's how they thought - their broadcasts revealed it. But putting it in writing was unnecessary and deeply stupid.
And be real about this: The DEMOCRATS are now exploiting the MEMO to their political advantage, just as the Republicans were exploiting Schiavo. DUH!
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When this becomes relevant, in my opinion, is when the charges of hypocrisy start flying. If indeed Tom DeLay is going to wax lyrical about the sanctity of life a few years after having his own father killed, and Bush is going to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to fly out to sign a bill that saves a single individual from the kind of fate he signed into law for Texas indigents, then one is forced to wonder whether they're doing it out of deep conviction or political calculation. Memos of this kind argue for the latter.
And, again, this would still matter if the current administration were not relying almost exclusively on a "trust us; we're good people" approach to foreign and domestic policy, in which they play their cards so close to the vest that we're forced to decide based on silly political games like these instead of on the merits of any individual policy.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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I worked for a Senator for two years as a legislative counsel...they definately have paper that they don't read...and they will hand that sort of stuff over without having read it -- they trust their staffers to be careful about these sorts of things. So, in a sense, it is the staffer's fault. That topic is a "converstion to have" not something to put in a memo -- which could just as easily wound up as the Senator's 'talking points' and so on....
As OSC said, you never write this kind of thing down -- but I guarantee you, every Senate office was having this discussion: "How can we turn this situation into one where the other side has to cast a difficult vote." This goes on for every issue.
All I can say is, both sides are dirty...no one is clean...
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