Owner: Collins Watch URL:http://collinswatch.blogspot.com Join Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2007 12:30:43 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Keeping an eye on Maine's junior senator. Site statistics:Click here
They Write Letter 2007-09-28 14:36:00 As the kids say, read the whole thing:The Washington Post story published in the Sept. 20 Portland Press Herald erroneously reported that Sen. Susan Collins voted against cloture on a bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Arlen Specter allowing terrorism detainees the right of habeas corpus.Unlike Sen. Olympia Snowe, Sen. Collins shamefully voted in effect to deny detainees this historic right, which dates to 1215 and the Magna Carta. She ignored the plain language of the Constitution, which allows suspension of this right only "when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it."Sen. Patrick Leahy made clear the bill's significance by saying: "Casting aside the time-honored protection of habeas corpus makes us more vulnerable as a nation because it leads us away from our core American values and calls into question our historic role as a defender of human rights around the world."Characterizing the fight against terrorism as a "war," with its implications for preside Read more:Write
, Letter
The Unnameable 2007-09-27 12:22:00 For the second time in recent months, the word "Iraq" does not appear in Sen. Collins' eNewsletter.But readers do learn that:Senator Susan Collins recently attended the Lewiston MAINEiacs home opener at the Colisée in Lewiston.and that:Senator Collins recently visited the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland where she met with approximately 50 elementary and middle school students from Nobleboro Central School, Hope Elementary School, and Oxford Hill Christian Academy.
Exclusive: Tom Allen Interview 2007-09-24 12:04:00 We spend nearly all our time here at Collins Watch focusing on Maine's junior senator. And for good reason--it's what we're all about.But with the 2008 race coming into focus, we thought it would be worth shifting our attention, at least briefly, to her Democratic opponent, Congressman Tom Allen
.So we reached out to his campaign, which graciously set up an interview. On Monday, we sat down with Allen, who has represented Maine's first district since 1996. Our discussion lasted about an hour, covering topics ranging from Iraq to Sen. Collins' perfect voting record to Moveon.org.Here's what we learned.On Iraq: Allen told us without hesitation that, "setting a deadline is the best way" to move forward.When asked about Sen. Collins' continued unwillingness to support a withdrawal timetable--in the context of her repeated calls for a change in mission--he said, "the bottom line is, Susan wants to maintain an open-ended commitment in Iraq. And that's the President's policy." "Changi Read more:Exclusive
In The Papers 2007-10-04 07:28:00 Didn't realize that MaineToday.com had a political blog. But it does. And Susan Cover has picked up the Allen funeral story.(Unfortunately, she doesn't dig any deeper.)In other news, Sen. Collins is calling the President's veto of S-CHIP "a tremendous mistake."
They Release Statements 2007-10-03 14:51:00 According to a press release from Valerie Martin, Rep. Allen's campaign manager:Two of Monday's missed votes named post offices in other states. The third honored a National Guard unit from another state.If this is true (and as far as I know, the Maine GOP hasn't produced any information to the contrary) then the Collins campaign is indeed guilty of launching a cheap shot attack on Allen.Look: It's important for legislators to show up. But the job of a representative is to advance the interests of his or her constituents--not to a pursue perfect attendance record as an end in itself.If Sen. Collins thinks attendance matters above all else she should say that. If she thinks this election should turn on the fate of legislation naming out-of-state post offices, she ought to explain why. Read more:Release
Apology? 2007-10-03 13:21:00 As the incisive Senate Guru notes, Maine GOP chair Mark Ellis' press release update--the one acknowledging that Rep. Allen was at a family funeral in Bangor during three House votes Ellis accused him of skipping--contains nothing resembling an apology.(How did I miss that?)So important questions remain: Does Ellis believe Allen abrogated his obligation to his constituents by attending the funeral? Does Sen. Collins--whose campaign took the lead in disseminating the original attack--think an apology is in order?Or does she concur with Ellis that Allen's absence--for a family funeral--indicates that the six-term Democrat "seems to have lost interest in showing up to work." And does anyone in the Maine press corp find any of this salient enough to be worth a couple hundred words? Read more:Apology
Oops 2007-10-02 20:04:00 From the Collins campaign, via its internet guru Lance Dutson, we get wind of this Maine GOP press release:Congressman Tom Allen missed each of the three votes the House of Representatives held yesterday, bringing his missed votes total to 132...Maine Republican Party Chairman Mark Ellis said, "Congressman Allen really seems to have lost interest in showing up to work. At the very least, he should tell his constituents why he is choosing to leave them unrepresented in Congress less than a year after he was reelected. For these and the many other days that Tom has skipped votes, Mainers deserve to know the answer to the question: Where was Tom?"Later amended as follows:“It has come to our attention that Congressman Tom Allen was in Bangor on Monday attending the funeral of a family member. Without question, the most difficult times in our lives are those in which we grieve for the loss of family or friends. Our thoughts are with Congressman Allen and his family during this difficult t
The Freedom Agenda 2007-10-02 08:45:00 The more I think about Sen. Collins' habeas votes, the more convinced I become that they'll come back to bite her during the campaign. And not just because the more recent vote exposed a widening rift between the junior senator and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME).Allow me to explain.For those who are a little fuzzy on their high school civics, habeas corpus is the right to challenge one's imprisonment in a court of law.Or to put it even more plainly: When the government knocks on your door and takes you away, habeas is what entitles you to tell a judge "Wait a second. They got the wrong guy."So we're talking about something pretty basic here. And while I'm no expert, it seems safe to call habeas a foundational principle of Western law and culture--the kind of basic minimum standard that helps us tell the difference between societies that respect individual autonomy and those that don't.So Collins' votes against habeas are a stark reminder of which side she's been on these last few ye Read more:Freedom
Layers of Meaning? 2007-09-30 17:55:00 Given the opportunity to host a Washington D.C. film screening (at the invitation of The Week magazine), Sen. Collins--together with her friend Rep. Jane Harman--selected THELMA AND LOUISE.An interesting choice, to be sure. Make of it what you will. Read more:Layers
, Meaning
Moveon Again 2007-10-11 13:39:00 Well, you knew it was coming: Sen. Collins is now using the Petraeus ad flap as part of a fundraising pitch.It's entirely fair game, although one of the Collins camp's central charges is misleading: That "MoveOn.org has contributed more money to her opponent than all of the presidential candidates combined, $250,000 already."Phrasing it that way conjures up images of a (nefarious) left-wing behemoth dumping a giant check on Rep. Allen.But that hasn't happened--at least as far as I know. Instead, hundreds (thousands?) of individuals have responded to Moveon.org solicitations by making mostly small dollar donations to Allen's campaign.So they're the ones doing the giving. Moveon is just using their megaphone--and their web platform--to draw attention to the race.It's a subtle distinction, especially if you don't follow these types of things closely. But it's an important one. And it's why the National Republican Senatorial Committee, for example, has been careful to characterize Read more:Again
"Little Interest" in Oversight? 2007-10-10 13:19:00 Steve Benen brings us a snippet from an article on Iraq oversight in today's (subscription-only) Roll Call:The day news broke that the Iraqi government was revoking the license of Blackwater USA over a questionable Baghdad shootout that killed 17 civilians, House Oversight
and Government Reform Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) announced plans for hearings to probe the State Department’s reliance on private security contractors.On that same day--Sept. 17--Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Joe Lieberman (ID-Conn.) announced two firefighting grants for the towns of Bolton and Willington in his home state.Though the two committees have similar investigative powers and mandates to uncover waste, fraud and abuse of government funds, Waxman has held eight hearings on Iraq and contracting abuses this year, while Lieberman has held only one on reconstruction challenges in both Iraq and Afghanistan.And though Waxman rarely has missed an opportunity to fire off angry l Read more:Interest
BDN On Habeas 2007-10-08 06:58:00 Bangor Daily News editorializes in favor of habeas corpus. And give the editorial board credit for detailing the junior senator's embarrassing record on the issue:The 2006 Military Commissions Act was intended to assure the end of habeas corpus for "enemy combatants," by setting up military commissions at Guanatanmo to hear detainees cases rather than using the federal court system. Before the final vote, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Penn., tried to remove a section prohibiting any federal court from hearing habeas corpus appeals. But his amendment lost, 48 to 51. Maine’s Sen. Susan Collins voted no. Sen. Olympia Snowe, absent for a family funeral, did not vote. Sen. Collins voted for the unchanged bill, as did Sen. Specter, although he called the measure unconsitutional [sic]. Sen. Snowe again did not vote.Sens. Specter and Pat Leahy, D-Vt., raised the issue again last month, introducing a bill to restore habeas corpus. The vote of 56 to 43 lacked the necessary 60 votes needed to block a Read more:Habeas
Knowing The Shot 2007-10-07 19:18:00 Bill Nemitz explores the Collins camp's nasty, disingenuous attack on Rep. Allen for votes he missed while attending a funeral here.He makes a point that's obvious but worth underscoring:Before you publicly hammer someone with the question, "Where were you?" you'd best find out the answer in advance.Or, as Ricky Roma put it in Glengarry Glen Ross:Never open your mouth until you know what the shot is.
Change of Address 2007-10-06 15:36:00 News reader users take note: Our feed has moved to http://feeds.feedburner.com/collins_watchThe old address automatically forwards posts to the new one. So feed subscribers shouldn't have to take any action. At least that's what we've been assured. But if you run into trouble, try redirecting your reader to the above url.(If this all sounds like gobbledygook, ignore it. And don't feel bad: This stuff is over our heads too.) Read more:Change
, Address
Sullivan on Torture 2007-10-04 20:08:00 Andrew Sullivan makes a prediction:The way in which conservative lawyers, and conservative intellectuals, and conservative journalists aided and abetted these war crimes [relating to America's ban on torture]...the way in which Republicans and Democrats in the Congress pathetically refused to stand up to these violations of American honor and decency in any serious way...these will go down in history as some of the most shameful decisions these people ever made.(Sen. Collins voted in favor of the Military Commissions Act. Rep. Allen didn't.) Read more:Torture
In The Papers 2007-10-04 07:28:00 Didn't realize that MaineToday.com had a political blog. But it does. And Susan Cover has picked up the Allen funeral story.(Unfortunately, she doesn't dig any deeper.)In other news, Sen. Collins is calling the President's veto of S-CHIP "a tremendous mistake."
They Release Statements 2007-10-03 14:51:00 According to a press release from Valerie Martin, Rep. Allen's campaign manager:Two of Monday's missed votes named post offices in other states. The third honored a National Guard unit from another state.If this is true (and as far as I know, the Maine GOP hasn't produced any information to the contrary) then the Collins campaign is indeed guilty of launching a cheap shot attack on Allen.Look: It's important for legislators to show up. But the job of a representative is to advance the interests of his or her constituents--not to a pursue perfect attendance record as an end in itself.If Sen. Collins thinks attendance matters above all else she should say that. If she thinks this election should turn on the fate of legislation naming out-of-state post offices, she ought to explain why. Read more:Release
Apology? 2007-10-03 13:21:00 As the incisive Senate Guru notes, Maine GOP chair Mark Ellis' press release update--the one acknowledging that Rep. Allen was at a family funeral in Bangor during three House votes Ellis accused him of skipping--contains nothing resembling an apology.(How did I miss that?)So important questions remain: Does Ellis believe Allen abrogated his obligation to his constituents by attending the funeral? Does Sen. Collins--whose campaign took the lead in disseminating the original attack--think an apology is in order?Or does she concur with Ellis that Allen's absence--for a family funeral--indicates that the six-term Democrat "seems to have lost interest in showing up to work." And does anyone in the Maine press corp find any of this salient enough to be worth a couple hundred words? Read more:Apology
Oops 2007-10-02 20:04:00 From the Collins campaign, via its internet guru Lance Dutson, we get wind of this Maine GOP press release:Congressman Tom Allen missed each of the three votes the House of Representatives held yesterday, bringing his missed votes total to 132...Maine Republican Party Chairman Mark Ellis said, "Congressman Allen really seems to have lost interest in showing up to work. At the very least, he should tell his constituents why he is choosing to leave them unrepresented in Congress less than a year after he was reelected. For these and the many other days that Tom has skipped votes, Mainers deserve to know the answer to the question: Where was Tom?"Later amended as follows:“It has come to our attention that Congressman Tom Allen was in Bangor on Monday attending the funeral of a family member. Without question, the most difficult times in our lives are those in which we grieve for the loss of family or friends. Our thoughts are with Congressman Allen and his family during this difficult t
The Freedom Agenda 2007-10-02 08:45:00 The more I think about Sen. Collins' habeas votes, the more convinced I become that they'll come back to bite her during the campaign. And not just because the more recent vote exposed a widening rift between the junior senator and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME).Allow me to explain.For those who are a little fuzzy on their high school civics, habeas corpus is the right to challenge one's imprisonment in a court of law.Or to put it even more plainly: When the government knocks on your door and takes you away, habeas is what entitles you to tell a judge "Wait a second. They got the wrong guy."So we're talking about something pretty basic here. And while I'm no expert, it seems safe to call habeas a foundational principle of Western law and culture--the kind of basic minimum standard that helps us tell the difference between societies that respect individual autonomy and those that don't.So Collins' votes against habeas are a stark reminder of which side she's been on these last few ye Read more:Freedom
Layers of Meaning? 2007-09-30 17:55:00 Given the opportunity to host a Washington D.C. film screening (at the invitation of The Week magazine), Sen. Collins--together with her friend Rep. Jane Harman--selected THELMA AND LOUISE.An interesting choice, to be sure. Make of it what you will. Read more:Layers
, Meaning
They Write Letters 2007-09-28 14:36:00 As the kids say, read the whole thing:The Washington Post story published in the Sept. 20 Portland Press Herald erroneously reported that Sen. Susan Collins voted against cloture on a bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Arlen Specter allowing terrorism detainees the right of habeas corpus.Unlike Sen. Olympia Snowe, Sen. Collins shamefully voted in effect to deny detainees this historic right, which dates to 1215 and the Magna Carta. She ignored the plain language of the Constitution, which allows suspension of this right only "when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it."Sen. Patrick Leahy made clear the bill's significance by saying: "Casting aside the time-honored protection of habeas corpus makes us more vulnerable as a nation because it leads us away from our core American values and calls into question our historic role as a defender of human rights around the world."Characterizing the fight against terrorism as a "war," with its implications for preside Read more:Write
, Letters
The Unnameable 2007-09-27 12:22:00 For the second time in recent months, the word "Iraq" does not appear in Sen. Collins' eNewsletter.But readers do learn that:Senator Susan Collins recently attended the Lewiston MAINEiacs home opener at the Colisée in Lewiston.and that:Senator Collins recently visited the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland where she met with approximately 50 elementary and middle school students from Nobleboro Central School, Hope Elementary School, and Oxford Hill Christian Academy.
Exclusive: Tom Allen Interview 2007-09-24 12:04:00 We spend nearly all our time here at Collins Watch focusing on Maine's junior senator. And for good reason--it's what we're all about.But with the 2008 race coming into focus, we thought it would be worth shifting our attention, at least briefly, to her Democratic opponent, Congressman Tom Allen
.So we reached out to his campaign, which graciously set up an interview. On Monday, we sat down with Allen, who has represented Maine's first district since 1996. Our discussion lasted about an hour, covering topics ranging from Iraq to Sen. Collins' perfect voting record to Moveon.org.Here's what we learned.On Iraq: Allen told us without hesitation that, "setting a deadline is the best way" to move forward.When asked about Sen. Collins' continued unwillingness to support a withdrawal timetable--in the context of her repeated calls for a change in mission--he said, "the bottom line is, Susan wants to maintain an open-ended commitment in Iraq. And that's the President's policy." "Changi Read more:Exclusive
Watch This Space 2007-09-23 18:57:00 As Atrios and others have noted, Sen. Collins said this in March:"My vote against this rapid withdrawal does not mean that I support an open-ended commitment of U.S. troops to Iraq," Collins said in a statement issued after the vote.If Bush's strategy in Iraq does not show "significant results" by fall, "then Congress should consider all options including a redefinition of our mission and a gradual but significant withdrawal of our troops next year."Well, it's now officially fall.And Sen. Collins is still rejecting all legislative attempts to mandate the very "gradual but significant withdrawal" she promised she would consider.Surprised? I'll confess that I am, at least a bit: A few months back, I was almost sure that Collins would have pivoted on Iraq by now.Meanwhile, we're gearing up for a busy Monday here at Collins Watch: We hope to serve up some exciting content--and maybe even break a little news--in the next day or two.So tune in early and often. Read more:Space
Still No Hits 2007-09-21 11:31:00 According to Google, the word Bush is still nowhere to be found on SusanCollins.com.
Susan's Selective Memory 2007-09-21 09:11:00 Over at Susan
's blog the junior senator recaps what she calls a "busy week in Washington." And indeed it was.And yet somehow, her 545 word post manages to skip both the failure of the Webb amendment and her unconscionable--and much-discussed--vote against restoring habeas corpus.I wonder why she'd skip right over the week's two most important events... Read more:Selective
, Memory
WaPo: Collins Visibly Angry 2007-09-20 11:25:00 Don't miss this juicy anecdote in today's Washington Post (via Turn Maine Blue) about the disconnect between Maine's senators.Sen. Collins
was apparently none too happy about having to stand alone in opposition to reinstalling the right of habeas corpus.Snowe apparently did not inform her leadership of the switch, according to aides and senators familiar with the decision. Therefore, Collins never got the message, leaving her all alone.Collins, who is facing a potentially tough reelection battle next fall against Rep. Tom Allen (D-Maine), an antiwar liberal [sic], was visibly angry, according to eyewitnesses in the chamber's press gallery. She paced around the floor, confronting several members of the leadership. So: Is this how she decides how to vote?I mean, we're talking about a core modern legal principle for crying out loud, and Sen. Collins is worried about blending in with the crowd?
Habeas Watch 2007-09-20 07:26:00 I missed this, but Maine Democrats caught it: Yesterday, Sen. Collins voted against reinstalling habeas corpus, the ancient right to challenge one's detention in court.Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) voted in favor of the habeas provision. Read more:Habeas
Reporting on The Pledge 2007-09-19 08:31:00 Give the Bangor Daily News credit for paying attention, this early in the race, to Sen. Collins pledge to serve no more than two-terms. (We discussed the pledge here.)That said, Tom Groening's reporting leaves a lot to be desired.Start with the headline: "Democrats say Collins broke two-term pledge."Well, did she or didn't she? Why the suspense?Unfortunately, the article itself is similarly non-committal:Sen. Collins, according to Democratic Party spokeswoman Carol Andrews, made the pledge to serve just two terms while running for the seat in 1996. Collins announced the two-term pledge on April 1, 1996, while signing a document supporting a constitutional amendment limiting terms for members of Congress.While seeking re-election in 2002, Collins reaffirmed her pledge to serve two terms in a letter to a constituent, according to Andrews.The Collins campaign does not deny she made the pledges.(Emphasis added.)So let's review. A Democratic spokeswoman makes a couple of charges. Sen. Co Read more:Reporting
, Pledge
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