ConfirmThem

By AndrewHyman Posted in Senate Rules — Comments () / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

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The former Senator Majority Leader was interviewed by NPR about his new autobiographical book, "One Soldier's Story." Inevitably, the discussion turned to the nomination filibuster controversy in the Senate, as reported by Knight Ridder:

Former Republican leader Bob Dole, interviewed on National Public Radio, warned Republicans "to be very careful, that's my advice, before you start tinkering with the rules. I mean the rules have been changed before," he said. "You want to think down the road. The Senate's going to change. It's not always going to be Republican."

Unfortunately, both the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times presented a heavily edited version of Sen. Dole's remarks, omitting the portion that I've put in bold.

Here's how the LA Times reported Sen. Dole's remarks:

Reid referred to comments by former Senate Majority Leader and Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole, who told National Public Radio earlier in the day that "you have to be very careful ... before you start tinkering with the rules" because one day Republicans will be in the minority and need to use the filibuster.

And, here's how the New York Times reported Sen. Dole's remarks:

Democrats circulated an interview in which Bob Dole, a former Senate majority leader, told National Public Radio that his fellow Republicans ought to be "very careful." "You want to think down the road," Mr. Dole said. "The Senate's going to change. It's not always going to be Republican."

Now, here's what Sen. Dole actually said according to the NPR transcript, and I have again bolded the part that the LA Times and the NY Times didn't think worth reporting:

I think you have to be very careful---that's my advice---before you start tinkering with the rules. I mean, the rules have been changed before. You know, when I think down the road, you know, the Senate's going to change. It's not always going to be Republican. It changes back and forth. The history shows that.

So, you can see that the LA Times and the NY Times did not omit a huge crucial statement, but they did omit an acknowledgment that changing the rules is not outlandish. In context, Sen. Dole was saying that if you're going to change the rules, be careful and think ahead. Wise advice indeed. Too bad the NY Times and LA Times felt it necessary to present Sen. Dole's remarks as chopped up by the Democrats, instead of as originally delivered.

NOTE: On April 13, confirmthem learned, via the Raw Story, that Roll Call?s Mary Ann Akers? reported a spokesman for Bob Dole said his boss would support the nuclear option as ?a last resort. And he assumes that Frist has the same opinion.?