I don’t like Steny Hoyer. There’s just no way around it. Now he’s conspiring with Jay Rockefeller to force retroactive telecom immunity through Congress, so George Bush and his criminal conspiracy won’t have to answer any questions about violating the Constitution by spying on American citizens without warrants.

Again.

Did I mention I don’t like Steny Hoyer?

When I saw this article in The Hill recently, praising Hoyer’s skills at bipartisanship, my suspicion was aroused even though I couldn’t quite fathom what was being talked about.

Whatever it meant, there certainly was a lot of admiration for Good Old Steny:

Hoyer earns trust with House GOP
By Alexander Bolton Posted: 04/15/08 08:02 PM [ET]

In contrast to his predecessor, former Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), who prided himself on partisanship and his lack of Democratic friends, Hoyer has worked diligently to build bipartisan relationships.

Hoyer has also cultivated ties to Democratic groups across the political spectrum, such as the Blue Dog Coalition, whose members represent rural conservative districts and who have clashed with Democratic leaders over fiscal matters.

Hoyer’s credibility among Republicans and conservative Democrats has served as a valuable asset to the Democratic leadership and placed him in the middle of this year’s biggest policy debates.

“He works with some of our more conservative groups, the Blue Dogs and the New Democrats,” said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), chairman of the DCCC, of Hoyer. “He’s very effective at working to try to build coalitions.”

Yeah. Steny Hoyer, everybody’s buddy, building coalitions. Little hairs on the back of my neck started to quiver. Why is The Hill carrying an article about how well Steny Hoyer gets along with Blue Dogs and Republicans? Do go on:

[Talking about the SCHIP negotiations] Hoyer ultimately didn’t broker a deal, but the episode strengthened his reputation among Democratic leaders as a colleague willing to do the dirty work and bolstered his image among Republicans as an honest broker. This has thrust him into the center of delicate negotiations over intelligence surveillance legislation. [What “intelligence surveillance legislation”? I thought FISA review was dead for this session?]

Hoyer’s ability to work with Republicans and security-minded conservative Democrats has added an important ingredient to the debate. [What debate? There’s a debate going on?]

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) said he has done most of his negotiating on a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) overhaul with Hoyer. [What FISA “negotiations”?]

“I just think he’s a trustworthy, shrewd negotiator,” said Rockefeller. [I’ll just bet he is.]

Hoyer’s training as an attorney has proven useful during these meetings and has helped him grasp the bill’s legal complexities. [What “complexities”?]

Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas), chairman of the House Intelligence panel, said that Hoyer has been vital in keeping the Democratic chairmen apprised of how Republicans would react to various proposals — crucial information when the president must sign the bill for it to become law. [Steny is negotiating with congressional Republicans about FISA? And keeping Reyes in the loop?]

Hoyer has helped bring Bush administration officials and Republican leaders closer to compromise by using the relationships he’s built with GOP leaders, such as Republican Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.). “Hoyer is straightforward, dependable and always trying to get things done,” said Blunt.

Steny Hoyer is negotiating with Jay Rockefeller, Roy Blunt, and congressional Republicans on “intelligence surveillance legislation,“ passing around “various proposals” while seeking to find something that Republicans can agree to so the president can sign it into law? After all that was gone through just recently to kill the telecom immunity deal, they wouldn’t actually dredge that dead beast back up again. Can this possibly be true?

Well, yes it is and yes they are.

Turns out a couple of the Senate’s finest alumni, Trent Lott (Rwhore-Miss.) and John Breaux (Dwhore-La.) have just recently formed a new lobbying group, the Breaux Lott Leadership Group (BLLG); among their charter clients is ATT and they’ve got some cash to spread around.

Also just recently, a shady robocall outfit has started calling the voters of freshman Democrats, asking them to contact their congressmen to voice support for intelligence-gathering legislation needed to keep our country safe from terrorist attacks; legislation President Bush has been requesting but the Democrats have blocked. (Why do Democrats protect terrorists? Why do Democrats hate America? Why doesn’t your Democratic congressman care about protecting you and your family?)

And now, Jane Hamsher reports she’s heard from the ACLU that a backroom deal is being negotiated between Steny Hoyer, Jay Rockefeller, the BlueDog/BushBitch Coalition and congressional Republicans to make another try at getting retroactive telecom immunity, through a FISA amendment attached to the upcoming new supplemental appropriations bill. Hamsher calls it a rumor, but with that article in The Hill it sounds like more than a rumor to me.

Have I mentioned that I really, really don’t like Steny Hoyer?

[Note: Please, review again that the cabal operating here is Steny Hoyer, Jay Rockefeller, the BlueDog/Bushbitch Coalition and congressional Republicans, with Bush and Cheney no doubt cackling in the background. Neither Nancy Pelosi nor Harry Reid is part of this seditious usurpation of constitutional decency and there is probably nothing they can do to stop it, so I don’t want to hear even one word of blame for them. Condemnation where condemnation is due, and there’s a damn long list of people with dirt all over their hands here; go chew on them.]