Lobbyists Ghost Write Health Care Speeches Given by Members of Congress

The lobbyists are so powerful in Washington that in some cases are writing the speeches given by the worthless whore members of Congress.

In the official record of the historic House debate on overhauling health care, the speeches of many lawmakers echo with similarities. Often, that was no accident.

Statements by more than a dozen lawmakers were ghostwritten, in whole or in part, by Washington lobbyists working for Genentech, one of the world’s largest biotechnology companies.

E-mail messages obtained by The New York Times show that the lobbyists drafted one statement for Democrats and another for Republicans.

The lobbyists, employed by Genentech and by two Washington law firms, were remarkably successful in getting the statements printed in the Congressional Record under the names of different members of Congress.

Genentech, a subsidiary of the Swiss drug giant Roche, estimates that 42 House members picked up some of its talking points — 22 Republicans and 20 Democrats, an unusual bipartisan coup for lobbyists.

Transcript: The O'Reilly Factor (11-13-09)

Read a partial transcript for Bill O'Reilly's Factor (11-13-09). Excerpt below:

O'REILLY: You're missing the point. The lawyers for Mohammed are going to make the trial about the CIA and the Bush administration. Is that what you want?

SESTAK: Absolutely not. This is about justice. These men took down people. I was assigned to the Pentagon when it happened. I -- as you well know, when after them in Afghanistan headed Deep Blue, the Navy's anti- terrorism unit. But what I also defended was the ideals of this nation. Our court systems are strong enough.

O'REILLY: So you don't believe in military tribunals?

SESTAK: That is a show piece down in Gitmo.

O'REILLY: You don't believe in military tribunals?

SESTAK: In Gitmo right now, we're creating more terrorists outside the walls than we can keep in...

O'REILLY: In general as a military man, and the congressman was a naval officer, you don't believe in military tribunals?

SESTAK: Me? Oh, absolutely.

O'REILLY: Okay, so I think this is the perfect class..

SESTAK: I think they're appropriate at the time and place for what the Supreme Court said twice.

O'REILLY: All right, so this is the classic case that they should be using.

SESTAK: (INAUDIBLE) that they have been constructed did not give them the proper evidentiary rules that a civilized nation would provide a person.

O'REILLY: All right, now.

SESTAK: So then they've redone them. We just redid it in the NDAA, the Defense Authorization bill to try to make them better.

O'REILLY: I still think, look.

SESTAK: But as we've done hundreds.

O'REILLY: .if you look at the history of military tribunals.

SESTAK: .let's bring them home and put them right away in jail.

O'REILLY: If you look at the history of military trials from Nuremberg to Bosnia to 9/11, this fits. Now you're a New York guy. You're the New York congressman.

WEINER: Yeah.

O'REILLY: You know the suffering of the 9/11 families.

WEINER: Yeah.

O'REILLY: You can't possibly think the 9/11 families want this?

WEINER: Well, some of them do.

O'REILLY: No.

WEINER: Some of them may want.

O'REILLY: It's 9 to 1, 10 to 1.

WEINER: Some of them may want a chance to have their moment in court as well. Some -- I'm not exactly sure I understand what the concern is here. If the concern is that this guy's not going to get put to death, I don't think you have to worry about that. We have the best prosecutors in the world that are going to be on this case. I trust that we'll be able to keep this city safe. We have the best police officers in the world. What is the concern ? Is the concern now after eight years finally we're doing what the Bush administration.

O'REILLY: The concern is it's a circus and that it helps al Qaeda recruiting.

WEINER: You're going to have a trial.

O'REILLY: Look.

WEINER: Trials are sometimes not, are sometimes not tidy, but the outcome is what I care about it. And I want this guy put to death. Or even better yet.

O'REILLY: Well, I don't believe in the death penalty.

WEINER: .maybe the best thing should be that this guy gets acquitted and comes to Brooklyn and then get his comeuppance there.

O'REILLY: Okay, but then.

WEINER: But I want this.

O'REILLY: .we'd have to prosecute you.

WEINER: I want this.

O'REILLY: Hold it. Just listen. Rove had a good point where Karl Rove said look, every circus element of the trial, and there will be, and you congressmen both know there will be that, will be front page news in Arabic newspapers all over the world. Those people over there aren't going to get the subtleties of our system. What they're going to hear is the propaganda, Congressman Weiner.

WEINER: No, the entire.

O'REILLY: No, what do you mean no? Of course.

(CROSSTALK)

WEINER: This entire trial.

O'REILLY: Yeah.

WEINER: .is going to show how the United States, with all of our values, how we mete out justice.

Transcript: Rachel Maddow Show (11-13-09)

Here's the complete transcript for the Rachel Maddow Show(11-13-09). Excerpt below:

That was President Bush two weeks after September 11th, promising to capture and bring to justice those responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Well, now, more than eight years after that promise was made, we still haven`t caught Osama bin Laden. But among others with some alleged responsible for 9/11, finally, we learn today that while justice has been delayed, it will not forever be denied.

The Bush administration which talked so tough about getting justice for the perpetrators of 9/11 ultimately left office without doing that. It has been left to the next administration, the incoming Obama administration, to make good on the promises of justice that are nearly decade old.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC HOLDER, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Today, I am announcing that the Department of Justice will pursue prosecution in federal court of the five individuals accused of conspiring to commit the 9/11 attacks. After eight years of delay, those allegedly responsible for the attacks of September the 11th will finally face justice. They will be brought to New York -- to New York -- to answer for their alleged crimes in a courthouse just blocks away from where the Twin Towers once stood.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADDOW: Attorney General Eric Holder today announcing that alleged 9/11 mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other suspects will be transferred from Guantanamo to a New York City federal courthouse, to finally face trial. Today`s announcement means their trials will take place, as he said, just short walk from "Ground Zero" in Lower Manhattan. The attorney general says prosecutors will seek the death penalty for all five defendants, if they are found guilty.

In addition to the 9/11 defendants, the Justice Department also announced today that five additional terrorism suspects will not get a day in court. They will instead face military commissions for their alleged role in the bombing of the USS Cole in the year 2000 and other attacks on U.S. military personnel.

These are big developments that have been a very long time coming. And in a move as about as anticipated as the sun rising tomorrow morning, the Republican Party says it is outraged. Not over the military commissions decision, but over the fact that the 9/11 defendants will finally be facing justice in real courts.

Senator Jeff Sessions said, quote, "Our court system was never designed for this purpose. These trials will turn lawyers, juries and judges into targets."

Senator Jon Kyl said, "Past trials of terrorists have proven that our civilian courts are not the appropriate venue to handle international terrorism trials."

Senator John McCain blasting the decision tonight during a news conference in Arizona.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I do not understand why a war criminal should be able to have the same rights as a common criminal. And they should reverse this decision and they should be tried in military tribunals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADDOW: And then there`s the former mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI (R), FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: In a criminal trial, the rights of terrorists are more important than anything else. I mean, we -- here -- our criminal justice system is geared to let guilty people go free, if there is any doubt. We think they`re criminals. These are soldiers in a war against us. And the rules of war should apply.