Feinstein: Burris should be seated

Having just thoroughly dissed Dianne Feinstein over the "Panetta peeve," I reluctantly agree with Josh Marshall: she's right in concluding that Blagojevich's appointment of Burris is legal and there's no really good reason not to seat him. I've changed my mind on this issue. Burris is a fool to have accepted this nomination, because he will never be free of the taint of Blagojevich. And Blagojevich is a sociopath and a thoroughly destructive agent in the whole affair, who obviously made this appointment out of spite. But the fact remains that he is governor, he had the right to do it, the secretary of state has no valid reason to withold certification, and the Senate has, never mind the right, no good reason not to seat him.

More on Feinstein's peeve over Panetta

TPM reports that Pat Roberts (R-KS), of all people, is OK with Panetta, but Bush-enablers Feinstein and Rockefeller (supposedly Democrats) remain rankled if not outright in opposition. Read Elana Schor's piece (follow link in "DIFI SPEAKS" post) for just how arrogant, self-serving and all-around insufferable Dianne Feinstein is. Quote:

«Feinstein seemed to acknowledge the Obama team's desire to find a CIA director who would signal an end to the abusive interrogation tactics of the Bush years. "We all want a break with the past," she told the reporters milling around her in the Senate. "I was the one who went into the conference committee" ...between the House and the Senate last year... "with an amendment that would use the Army Field Manual as the universal standard for detainee interrogations," she added.

«"I understand the administration's desire to cut clean and open a new chapter and I support that. Whether those changes can be made" with Panetta at the helm, she added, "remains to be seen.»

I loved one of the commenters' remark:

«No, it remains to be seen whether those changes can be made with the likes of YOU as Intelligence chair, Senator.

«God, that woman makes me want to hurl.»

Me, too, although I might have put it a bit more delicately.

Or, another commenter:

«Yeah, we are all so impressed that you dug up a copy of the Army Field Manual and did some grandstanding with it....how'd that stunt end up? Oh yeah, it changed NOTHING.»

Frankly, if the Obama team really did snub Dianne Feinstein, I say, good. She very, very richly deserves it and needs to find out that things have changed in Washington.