Here is a posting by Liz Benjamin at Capital Tonight about the thing that Bronx Congressman Eliot Engel is most famous for -- copping a seat along the aisle during the State of the Union address so that he can get a picture with the President. Apparently, he has interns staking out the position all day and he arrives hours beforehand to get the seat and an autograph. And you had doubts about whether we have incredible elected officials in the Bronx? Of course, if you want to see the Congressman in action, you can watch him here on the Colbert Show.
This guy Engel really is a wretched piece of filth. Engel, please do us a favor and go away. Maybe you can move to Israel where you send all our tax dollars.
ReplyDeleteIts easy for him to scout out a seat given his home in Maryland is e is so close to the Capital.
ReplyDeletepardon my French, but Engel is a douche'
ReplyDeleteGroucho Marx?
ReplyDeleteTony, please adjust the time settings on your blog.
ReplyDeleteWho cares about what the exact time of a blog post is anyway ???
ReplyDeleteMy few contacts with Congressman's Engel's office on Johnson Avenue have been disappointing. Recently, I visited his office to request help for a consumer fraud perpetrated on me. The assistant to the Congressman that I spoke with Yoni-Kahn Jochnowitz seemed disinterested at best. He acted quickly to end our discussion, (if you can call it that), fobbing me off to the Consumer Fraud Office of the Attorney General of New York State in Albany. How do I feel about Congressman"s Engel's strenuous efforts to garner the best seat at the State of the Union Address: Indifferent, just as his intern was with me.
ReplyDeleteCongressma Engel and his interns might spend more time helping his constituents in his district. How do I feel about Congressman's Engel's strenuous efforts to garner the best seat at the State of the Union Address, indifferent, just as his interns at his office in Riverdale office have been with me.
ReplyDeleteI am indifferent, just as the Congressman has been with constituents in his District who visit his office
ReplyDeleteHere are some big foreign-policy questions for Congressman Eliot L. Engel (D.-N.Y., 17th District):
ReplyDelete1) Why was Eliot Engel caught completely off guard by the political upheaval in Egypt?
2) What is Eliot Engel doing to listen to the people of Egypt?
3) Can Eliot Engel persuade Egyptian President Honsi Mubarak to resign honorably?
4) What will Eliot Engel do about the poverty and joblessness fueling the Middle East unrest?
Oops, these are NOT appropriate questions for Mr. Engel, who happens to sit on the House Foreign Relations Committee. And why, you might ask? Well, because it matters very little what he has to say since he is a politician of no importance or influence in Washington, D.C.
While powerful members of Congress are involved in matters of high policy and are sought out to appear on the major Sunday morning talk shows, Eliot Engel has far more more weighty concerns ... like camping out all day before last Tuesday night's State of the Union address just to get his once-a-year chance to say hi to the President for two or three seconds!
Actually, Eliot Engel does have some influence in that he has one vote out of the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives. But it's a real shame that vote is wasted on such an ineffective legislator.
ReplyDeleteSo when is someone gonna run against this guy? I think it's time for some real change in Washington, not this CIA, NED, "people power" color revolution bullshit that brought us the Wall Street puppet neo con Obama.
ReplyDeleteI'm talking about a real Constitutionalist, someone who will vote against all foreign aid (including to the Apartheid terrorist Rothschild fiefdom commonly known as Israel), someone who will stop these abysmal and go nowhere wars, someone who will let Wall Street go under when they go bankrupt, someone who will fight for real infrastructure improvements such as Maglev, rebuilding the electrical grid and highways, someone who will vote to abolish the illegal private "Federal" Reserve, someone who will axe every government agency not expressly allowed for in the Constitution, including the CIA, someone who will break up the incompetant and mole filled FBI, someone who will start holding real hearings into 9/11 so the real criminals will be held responsible, someone who will refuse all earmarks, and someone who will vote no for every bill that doesn't have a direct Constitutional mandate.
Engel has voted for all the Patriot Acts, he never saw a Constitution killing bill or law he didn't love, he voted for all the wars, he voted for all the bailouts and fake stimulus bills, and voted against all bills requiring oversight of the private, illegal and unconstitutional "Federal" Reserve.
If we're gonna get our country back, this is what it's gonna take. The same old Republican and Democratic hacks have had their day, and they blew it. Time for some real change, and not the buffoons of the Wall Street co-opted and controlled "Tea Party."
Send the typing teacher home in the next election!
Anonymous @ Jan. 31 9:21 AM must be none other than that angry conspiracy fool I like to call Wacky MG. And, as I said before, if Wacky MG still cannot comprehend the truth about 9-11, here's the simple version:
ReplyDeleteA coordinated series of airline hijackings and suicide attacks committed by 19 members of the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda against targets in the U.S. caused extensive death and destruction and triggered an enormous U.S. effort to combat terrorism.
So Wacky MG, if you still adhere to some other story, what makes you the unique repository of the secret truth?
The best way to toast a conspiracy nut like Anon. Jan. 31 9:21 AM is with an elegant wine .... I recommend a bottle of 1996 Chateau Lafite-ROTHSCHILD Pauillac.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very nice blog. It must really have the local pols reaching for some antacid.
ReplyDeleteIt’s now 10 days since the start of the popular uprising in EGYPT …. The Middle East is in turmoil and US foreign policy is being recast … So where is Congressman ELIOT ENGEL, who supposedly is a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee???
ReplyDeleteA quick search of Google News this morning shows nothing from him concerning Egypt. So Mr. Engel’s analysis, advice and efforts in this situation are non-existent as far as the news media and the public are concerned. My guess is that he's also non-existent behind the scenes as well.
Sadly, the news about Mr. Engel is dominated by articles from January mocking his notoriety as an "aisle hog" desperate touch the hand of the president. In addition, Mr. Engel’s own website is also devoid of anything new from him on the Middle East.
Talk about disappointing!
Yup, as a congressmen, Eliot Engel is a dud.
ReplyDeletePut Mubarak on trial!
ReplyDeleteNot only is Congress Member Engel a legislative dud, he's a dud who claims to be a resident of Maryland rather than the district he was elected to represent in New York!
ReplyDeletePerhaps Congressman Engel can persuade Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak to step down before September's presidential elections by offering to let Mubarak stay in Engel’s empty apartment in Riverdale.
ReplyDeleteMany of Congressman Engel's constituents care deeply about the State of Israel, the U.S.'s closest ally in the Middle East. The turmoil in Egypt is fanning major concern in Israel and in the U.S. that whatever Egyptian government comes next might not honor Egypt's peace-treaty commitments with Israel which have been the cornerstone of Middle East stability.
ReplyDeleteQUESTION: Where is Congressman Eliot Engel in terms of public statements and action to stand up for U.S. and Israeli interests in the region?
ANSWER: It's been almost two weeks since the protesters took to the streets in Egypt and it seems that Congressman Engel has been AWOL despite his claim to be an expert and a leader in U.S. international relations. But not to worry, Congressman Engel's website proudly announces that he's helping to get a new traffic light at the intersection of Grace and Needham Avenues at East 229th Street. Maybe it's time for Eliot Engel to run for city council.
Today, former Vice President Dick Cheney said that President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt has been a “good friend” to the United States who deserves to be treated well. But Mr. Cheney stopped short of saying what he thought would or should happen in Egypt, saying that the Egyptian people would determine the outcome.
ReplyDeleteIsrael's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman met with Spain's Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez in Jerusalem today and said: "The recent events in the Middle East prove that Israel is an island of democracy and stability in the area. It is the only country that has true common values with Europe and the United States and is an integral part of the West."
ReplyDeleteIsraeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is coming to the US for 2 days of talks in New York and Washington, DC that are expected to focus on the situation in Egypt.
ReplyDeleteI just saw on CNN that at a press conference today in Egypt, representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood party say they will not have a presidential candidate and although they want to participate, they are not seeking power ... they merely want to be a part of government.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, but this string of blog entries has more up-to-date detail and perspective on what's happening in the Middle East than Rep. Engel's congressional website does!
ReplyDeleteAccording to leaked diplomatic cables, the new vice-president of Egypt, Omar Suleiman, told the Israelis that he wanted to start “cleansing the Sinai” of Palestinian arms smugglers.
ReplyDeleteOnly now, AFTER 18 days of unrelenting protests across Egypt and the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, does Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY) muster the courage to issue a lame press release about the Revolution on the Nile.
ReplyDeleteMr. Engel's statement is none too daring, totally lacks originality and is surprisingly shallow for a man who touts his expertise in foreign affairs. But if you want to read his "blah blah blah" statement, here's the link:
http://engel.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=24&parentid=6§iontree=6,24&itemid=2705
Unlike what Eliot Engel finally had to say about the situation in Egypt, here are some interesting remarks from two of Rep. Engel’s colleagues in the House of Representatives.
ReplyDeleteRep. Ron Paul (a Republican from Texas), speaking on CNN about the future of U.S. funding for Egypt, said “We’ve invested a lot of money in Mubarak and I don’t think it was a good investment.”
And the Chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (a Republican from Florida), called for calm in the months ahead as Egypt prepares for elections. She said “Now that the immediate demands of the Egyptian people have been met, steps must be taken for the prompt commencement of a calm and orderly transition process towards freedom and democracy in Egypt” … “This transition must include constitutional and administrative reforms, starting with the repeal of the emergency laws. These are necessary for legitimate, democratic, internationally recognized elections to take place with peaceful, responsibleactors who will not only advance the aspirations of the Egyptian people, but will continue to enforce Egypt’s international obligations.”
The day after Mr. Mubarak stepped down, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu welcomed a pledge by the Egyptian military to maintain the peace treaty between the two countries. Mr. Netanyahu described the treaty "is a cornerstone of peace and stability in the Middle East."
ReplyDeleteMOVING ALONG TO BAHRAIN (an island kingdom in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Arabia) ...
ReplyDeleteYesterday, hundreds of riot police rushed into Pearl Square in the capital city of Manama, firing shotguns, tear gas and concussion grenades at thousands of demonstrators who were sleeping there as part of a growing protest against the country’s absolute monarchy. Peaceful protesters are dying and hundreds have been injured.
I WONDER IF THE SO-CALLED FOREIGN POLICY EXPERT ELIOT ENGEL HAS ANY BRIGHT IDEAS ON HOW THE U.S. SHOULD RESPOND TO THIS LATEST DEVELOPMENT IN THE WIDENING TURMOIL IN THE MIDDLE EAST?
And why does Bahrain matter to the U.S.?. Well, that small country has been a base for U.S. naval activity in the Persian Gulf since 1947. Its strategic partnership with the U.S. intensified starting in 1991, when the both countries signed an agreement giving the U.S. access to Bahraini facilities and ensuring the right to pre-position arms there. In Oct. 2001, the U.S. designated Bahrain a “Major Non-NATO Ally,” and in 2004 they signed a free-trade agreement. And don’t forget that Bahrain is the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet. U.S. military sales to Bahrain since 2000 total $1.4 billion.
Ahh ... sweet pro-American undemocratic Bahrain ... basically a floating oil company and a U.S. Navy base!
ReplyDeleteA report in The New York Times just noted the following:
ReplyDelete“President Obama has yet to issue the blunt public criticism of Bahrain’s rulers that he eventually leveled against President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt — or that he has repeatedly aimed at the mullahs in Iran. Such criticism would be an even sharper break for the United States than it was in the case of Egypt, since just two months ago Washington was holding up Bahrain as a model of reform for the region.
What the administration does with Bahrain is likely to be a telling indicator of how it will deal with the balance between protecting its strategic interests, and promoting democracy — a balance some critics said it never properly struck in its sometimes awkward response to the Egyptian turmoil. What will make this diplomatic maneuvering even more complicated is Bahrain’s proximity to Saudi Arabia, another Sunni monarchy with even greater strategic value to the United States.”
READ MORE AT:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/world/middleeast/18diplomacy.html
The brutality on the streets of Bahrain has no excuse. The killing of demonstrators there and the violence in Libya threaten an escalation of regional unrest. The deadly crackdown must be vigorously condemned by the West.
ReplyDeleteAs Albert Einstein said, "The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
ReplyDeleteIf you think BAHRAIN is bad, LIBYA is even worse ... But, of course, Congressman Eliot Engel has nothing useful to say about either crackdown.
ReplyDeleteToday, the death toll in Libya climbed into the hundreds as the dictatorhip of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi unleashed the most brutal response of any regime to the pro-democracy protests sweeping the region since the ouster of strongmen in Tunisia last month and Egypt last week.
And the latest reports say that the 5-day-old uprising against Col. Qaddafi is now spreading to other cities along the Mediterranean coast.
It's EMBARRASING that Mr. Engel (as a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee) is so conspicuously absent from any of the real foreign policy-making debates and decisions going on in our nation’s capital.
Press reports say that several Western nations are on the brink of ordering military action against Gaddafi amid fears that the Libyan dictator could use chemical weapons against his own people.
ReplyDelete