Gordon Smith: "He who has the gold, makes the rules"

The immortal words of Doc Holliday from the movie Tombstone:

" Why Johnny Ringo, you look like somebody just walked over your grave."

That's the kind of sad, bewildered concern Sen. Gordon Smith (R) Oregon, had on his face when he announced Friday that he thought George Bush's war in Iraq is "absurd" and "may even be criminal."

I suppose we could call it a "delayed revelation".

Smth looked like he was witnessing the ghosts of past Republican parties. Remember them?

Those old republican parties that told Nixon to step down.
The one that regarded our national borders as sacrosanct.
The one that ended slavery.

They sure weren't the Gordon Smith Rino Republican party of today. He might just as well get it over with and jump ship with his Udall cousins to the Democrat isle.

History will tell us what the judgment of this war will be. And Gordon Smith isn't worried about history, he's worried about Gordon Smith.

Where has he been the last 3 years while this war slipped into the disgrace it's become? Did he do anything to help Bush get himself out of this nightmare?

This is an old article, but some things never change. One of those things is that Gordon Smith wants to be president, he is NOT a conservative and is more than willing to embrace a global instead of national interest.


TOWN HALL MEETING WITH U.S. SENATOR GORDON SMITH, R-OR.
Dec. 06, 1999

Senator Smith arrived on time for the town hall meeting he was gracious enough to bestow on our community. Unfortunately, our community did not respond. Including "the press"(translation: one camera)head count was between 22 and 25. I went there to ask a question, if I could get through the "crowd". NO crowd, No problem.

Senator Smith extended his hand and introduced himself, as I did in kind, and walked to the front of the little gathering. He began with the customized speech of the accomplishments of this congress: Balanced Budget, Welfare Reform, Saved the Social Security Trust Fund, Stopped funding for "certain practices" by the UN, but got them their long deserved funding...he failed to mention the recent Presidential Waiver, which effectively flushed that deal.

A man asked a question about Y2K. Sen. Smith was reassuring about the US Governments readiness. He then told us about the special command center set up with Russian and Chinese Government representatives stationed in the center to monitor everything that happens in America so THEY are sure WE won't attack THEM. I wondered if we had been granted, or even asked for the same surveillance privileges. He was concerned about Russia and China not having proper preparations for Y2K and expected problems, but expects just temporary, isolated glitches in this country.

Senator Smith barely mentioned the WTO, except to impress that we need this organization to protect developing countries. We NEED free trade. We Americans are spread all over the world and must have such a group to oversee American interests.

My turn.

"Senator Smith, explain to us where the line of representation is from us, as individuals or small business owners involved with world trade, and the 3 person WTO tribunal court who makes the binding decisions over us. Living in a representative republic, we are used to knowing who will be making law over us."

Very quiet, so very quiet.

Senator Smith repeated WHY the WTO was a good thing and gave a nice dissertation on free trade. I said this seems about managed trade, not free trade and that I STILL do not understand WHO represents me in the WTO.

The Senator is a diplomat, to be sure, and assured me the HE would always be there to represent my best interests and so is our trade rep, Charlene Barchefsky. I asked if it was true the United States has only one vote, like every other nation in the WTO. He said yes.

But, he reminded us to always remember the golden rule..."He who has the gold, makes the rules" and the wealth and power of the United States Government will assure us the BEST representation. NOW, even I understood!

Concern was raised about the Panama Canal. The Senator said we are bound by a treaty to deliver the canal back to Panama and he felt no great worry over the fact that both ends would be controlled by a company from HONG KONG. I know he heard my jaw hit the floor.

A question was asked about a meeting here next week between citizens and the Clinton Administration representatives ove the 40 million-acre road less forest "preserve" the president has enacted by executive order. Mr. Smith informed him that the meeting is only PR and it is already a done deal.

Again I got his attention, "Sen. Smith, I want to compliment you on your efforts a few weeks ago during a hearing by your Environment & Resources Senate Committee with officials from this administration, none of whom would answer the senators questions, such as how many acres they intend to turn into wilderness. It sounds nearer to 67 million acres to me".

He nodded in agreement. He explained that the only challenge the Senate might make is by statute that says only congress can designate wilderness, which is why it's called something else...like "road less", and that would have to be done in the courts down the line IF the administration over steps its bounds.

I laughed and asked, "How do you people deal with anyone in this adminisration knowing everything they say, they are lying about?"

He relaxed and chuckled and concurred that this WAS the case the they just try to pass good legislation and do their jobs.

I continued, "Mr. Smith, explain to me why I should trust Charlene Barchefsky, a Clinton appointee, with no congressional oversight, to represent me in the WTO?"

Senator Smith replied, "Well, the talks in Seattle got stalled so they can't make any more plans for a while!"

With that the meeting ended. Maybe gridlock isn't such a bad thing.