Richard Joseph Durbin
| Richard J. Durbin | |
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United States Senator from Illinois |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 7, 1997 Serving with Roland Burris |
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| Preceded by | Paul Simon |
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29th United States Senate Majority Whip |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2007 |
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| Leader | Harry Reid |
| Preceded by | Mitch McConnell (R) |
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23rd United States Senate Minority Whip |
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| In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007 |
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| Leader | Harry Reid |
| Preceded by | Harry Reid (D) |
| Succeeded by | Trent Lott (R) |
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20th United States Senate Democratic Whip |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2005 |
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| Leader | Harry Reid |
| Preceded by | Harry Reid |
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Member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois 20th District |
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| In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Paul Findley |
| Succeeded by | John Shimkus |
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| Born | November 21, 1944 East St. Louis, Illinois |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Loretta Schaefer Durbin |
| Children | Christine Durbin (deceased) Jennifer Durbin Paul Durbin |
| Residence | Springfield, Illinois |
| Alma mater | Georgetown University, Georgetown University Law Center |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Richard Joseph “Dick” Durbin (born November 21, 1944) is the senior United States Senator from the U.S. state of Illinois and Democratic Party Whip, the second highest position in the Democratic Party leadership in the Senate. He became Majority Whip of the US Senate when the 110th Congress convened on January 4, 2007. In April 2006, Time magazine listed Senator Durbin as one of “America’s 10 Best Senators.”
Contents
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Early life and family
Durbin was born in East St. Louis to an Irish-American father, William Durbin, and a Lithuanian-born mother, Ann Kutkin (Lithuanian: Ona Kutkait?). He graduated from Assumption High School in East St. Louis in 1962. During his high school years he worked at a meat packing plant. He earned a B.S. from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in 1966. He was an intern in the office of Illinois Senator Paul Douglas during his senior year in college. Durbin earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1969 and was admitted to the Illinois bar later that year.
After graduating from law school, Durbin started a law practice in Springfield. He was legal counsel to Lieutenant Governor Paul Simon from 1969 to 1972, and then legal counsel to the Illinois State Senate Judiciary Committee from 1972 to 1982. He ran for Lieutenant Governor in 1978 as the running mate of State Superintendent of Schools Michael Bakalis; they were defeated by the Republican incumbents, Jim Thompson and Dave O’Neal. He then became an adjunct professor at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine for five years while maintaining his law practice.
Durbin and his wife Loretta had two daughters, Christine and Jennifer, and a son, Paul. After several weeks in the hospital with complications due to a congenital heart condition, Christine died on November 1, 2008.
U.S. House of Representatives
In 1982, Durbin won the Democratic nomination for the 20th Congressional District, which includes most of Springfield. He scored a huge upset, defeating 22-year incumbent Paul Findley. Durbin was reelected six more times, rarely facing serious opposition, and winning more than 55% of the vote (except for 1994).
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Richard J. Durbin | 100,758 | 50.4% | Paul Findley (inc.) | 99,348 | 49.6% | ||
| 1984 | Richard J. Durbin (inc.) | 145,092 | 61.3% | Richard Austin | 91,728 | 38.7% | ||
| 1986 | Richard J. Durbin (inc.) | 126,556 | 68.1% | Kevin McCarthey | 59,291 | 31.9% | ||
| 1988 | Richard J. Durbin (inc.) | 153,341 | 68.9% | Paul Jurgens | 69,303 | 31.1% | ||
| 1990 | Richard J. Durbin (inc.) | 130,114 | 66.2% | Paul Jurgens | 66,433 | 33.8% | ||
| 1992 | Richard J. Durbin (inc.) | 154,869 | 56.5% | John M. Shimkus | 119,219 | 43.5% | ||
| 1994 | Richard J. Durbin (inc.) | 108,034 | 54.8% | Bill Owens | 88,964 | 45.2% |
U.S. Senate
Leadership
In 1996, Durbin defeated Pat Quinn to become the Democratic Party’s nominee to replace the retiring Democratic incumbent, Senator Paul Simon, a long-time friend. He faced Republican State Representative Al Salvi in the November general election. Although the U.S. Senate election was initially expected to be competitive, Durbin won by a surprising 15-point margin, undoubtedly helped by Bill Clinton’s 18-point win in Illinois that year.
In 2001, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle appointed him to the role of Assistant Democratic Floor Leader. On November 5, 2004, Durbin announced that he had enough committed votes to become the Democratic Whip in the 109th Congress. He became the first Illinois Senator to serve as Senate Whip since Everett Dirksen in the late 1950s. His role marks the fifth time in history an Illinois Senator has served as a Senate leader.
He became Majority Whip when the Democrats gained control of the Senate after the 2006 elections. Durbin served as Assistant Minority Leader from 2004 until 2006, when the Democrats became the Majority party in the Senate. He then assumed the role of Assistant Majority Leader, or Majority Whip.
Durbin also currently serves as chairman for two Senate Subcommittees: the Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law and the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government.
In 2000 Durbin was reportedly on the short list of possible Democratic nominees for Vice President of the United States considered by Al Gore, along with fellow Senators John Kerry of Massachusetts, John Edwards of North Carolina, Bob Graham of Florida, former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell of Maine, House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri, former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt. Gore, however, ultimately selected Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut to be his running-mate.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Defense
- Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (Chairman)
- Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Legislative Branch
- Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
- Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
- Committee on the Judiciary
- Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights
- Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law (Chairman)
- Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs
- Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship
- Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security
- Committee on Rules and Administration
Political positions
Abortion
As a congressman, Durbin voted consistently to uphold pre-existing restrictions on abortion or impose new limitations – including supporting a Constitutional amendment that would have nullifed Roe v. Wade.
Congressman Durbin reversed this stance in 1989, and has since voted to maintain access to abortion, including support for Medicaid funding of the procedure, and opposition to any limitation that he considers a practical or potential encroachment upon Roe. Senator Durbin has maintained that this reversal came about as a result of personal reflection and his growing awareness of potentially harmful implications of his previous policy with respect to women facing dangerous pregnancies. While visiting a home for abused children in Quincy, Illinois, the director, a friend, asked him to speak with two girls who were about to turn 18 and be turned out of state care. Talking with the girls, victims of gang rape and incest, made him reconsider his position on the subject. He says, “I still oppose abortion and would try my best to convince any woman in my family to carry the baby to term. But I believe that ultimately the decision must be made by the woman, her doctor, her family, and her conscience.”
Darfur
On March 2, 2005, former Senator Jon Corzine presented the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (S. 495) to the Senate. Durbin was one of 40 senators who co-sponsored the bill. The Darfur Accountability Act is noted as the premier legislative attempt to instill peace in Darfur. The bill asks that all people involved in or deemed in some way responsible for the genocide in Darfur be denied visas and entrance to the U.S.
In 2006, Durbin co-sponsored the Durbin-Leahy Amendment to the Supplemental Appropriations bill for emergency funding to instill peace in Darfur. In 2006, he also co-sponsored the Lieberman Resolution, and the Clinton Amendment.
On June 7, 2007, Durbin introduced the Sudan Disclosure Enforcement Act, “Aimed at enhancing the U.S. Government’s ability to impose penalties on violators of U.S. sanctions against Sudan.” This bill calls for the United Nations Security Council to vote on sanctions against the Sudanese Government for allowing genocide in Darfur.
Durbin is recognized for voting in favor of all Darfur related legislation to date. In addition to the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, he has also supported the Civilian Protection No-Fly Zone Act, the Hybrid Force Resolution, and the Sudan Divestment Authorization Act.
HIV/AIDS
In March 2007, Durbin introduced the African Health Capacity Investment Act of 2007 to the Senate. The bill was designed so that over a three year period, the U.S. would supply over $600 million to help create safer medical facilities and working conditions, and the recruitment and training of doctors from all over the continent.
In December 2007, Durbin and two other senators co-sponsored Senator Kerry’s Nondiscrimination in Travel and Immigration Act. Also, in March 2007, Durbin joined thirty-two other Senators to co-sponsor the Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2007.
Iraq War
On September 9, 2002, Durbin was the first of four Democratic senators (the others being Sens. Bob Graham, Feinstein, and Levin) on the Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), responding to the Bush administration’s request for a joint Congressional resolution authorizing a preemptive war on Iraq without having prepared a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), to ask George Tenet, the Director of Central Intelligence, to prepare a NIE on the status of Iraq’s WMD programs. Durbin was one of the few senators who read the resulting prepared October 1, 2002 NIE, Iraq’s Continuing Programs for Weapons of Mass Destruction.
On September 29, 2002, Durbin held a news conference in Chicago to announce that “absent dramatic changes” in the resolution, he would vote against the resolution authorizing war on Iraq. On October 2, 2002, at the first high-profile Chicago anti-Iraq War rally in Federal Plaza, Durbin repeated his promise to oppose the resolution in a letter read during the rally.
On October 10, 2002, the U.S. Senate failed to pass Durbin’s amendment to the resolution to strike “the continuing threat posed by Iraq” and insert “an imminent threat posed by Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction”, by a vote of 30 to 70, with the majority of Democratic senators voting for the amendment, but with 21 Democratic senators joining all 49 Republican senators voting against it. On October 11, 2002, Durbin was one of 23 U.S. Senators to vote against the joint Congressional resolution authorizing the Iraq War.
On April 25, 2007, Durbin said that as an intelligence committee member he knew in 2002 from classified information that the American people were being misled by the Bush Administration into a war on Iraq, but he could not reveal this because, as an intelligence committee member, he was sworn to secrecy. This revelation prompted an online attack ad against Durbin by the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Tobacco regulation
In 1987, Durbin introduced major tobacco regulation legislation in the House that banned cigarette smoking on airline flights of two hours or less. He was joined by Rep. C. W. Bill Young, a Republican from Florida, in saying that the rights of smokers to smoke end where their smoking affects the health and safety of others, such as on airplanes. The bill went on to pass as part of the 1988 transportation spending bill. In 1989 the legislation was followed by a new law that banned cigarette smoking on all domestic airline flights.
In March 1994 Durbin proposed an amendment to the Improving America’s Schools Act that required schools that receive Federal drug prevention money to teach elementary and secondary students about the dangers of tobacco in addition to those of drugs and alcohol. The amendment also required that schools warn students against tobacco and teach them how to resist peer pressure to smoke.
In February 2008 Durbin called on Congress to support a measure that would give the Food and Drug Administration the power to oversee the tobacco industry. This measure would require companies to disclose the contents of tobacco products, restrict advertising and promotions, and mandate the removal of harmful ingredients in tobacco products. The measure would also prohibit tobacco companies from using terms such as “low risk”, “light” and “mild” on packaging.
Durbin attributes his strong stance against tobacco and the tobacco industry to his father, who he says smoked two packs of Camels a day and died of lung cancer when Durbin was younger.
Freedom of Speech
In June 2006, Durbin voted against a federal ban on burning the U.S. flag as a form of protest.
In 2007, speaking as Senate Majority Whip, Durbin went on record as stating that “It’s time to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine,”
Rod Blagojevich
Shortly after Governor Rod Blagojevich’s arrest on federal corruption charges on December 9th, 2008, Durbin called for the Illinois legislature to quickly pass legislation for a special election to fill then President-elect Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat. He stated that no United States Senate appointment of Blagojevich’s could produce a credible replacement under the circumstances.
Durbin and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid led all 50 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus in writing Illinois Governor Blagojevich to urge him to resign and not name a successor to Illinois Senator Obama following Blagojevich’s arrest. Despite this, the governor appointed Roland Burris, Democrat, to the seat on December 30. Burris is a former state official and donated thousands to Blagojevich’s re-election fund.
Other political positions
Among Durbin’s legislative causes are asbestos regulation and environmental protection, particularly the protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He has also been noted for his work, along with Senators Patrick Leahy and Charles Schumer, in attempting to block President Bush’s judicial nominations, as well as for efforts to prevent closure of military bases in Illinois.
In January 2005, Durbin changed his longstanding position on sugar tariffs and price supports. After several years of voting to keep sugar quotas and price supports, Durbin now favors abolishing the program. “The sugar program depended on congressmen like me from states that grew corn,” Durbin said, referring to the fact that, though they were formerly a single entity, the sugar market and the corn syrup market are now largely separate.
In May 2006, Durbin campaigned to maintain a $0.54 per gallon tariff on imported ethanol. Durbin justified the tariff by joining Senator Barack Obama in stating that “ethanol imports are neither necessary nor a practical response to current gasoline prices,” arguing instead that domestic ethanol production is sufficient and expanding.
Durbin has also been a major proponent of expanded Amtrak funding and support. In October 2007, he opposed a bill in the Illinois General Assembly that would allow three casinos to be built: “I really, really think we ought to stop and catch our breath and say, ‘Is this the future of Illinois? That every time we want to do something we’ll just build more casinos?’”
Interest group ratings
Durbin’s ratings from interest groups indicate how often he votes in agreement with their priorities. Durbin’s voting record is very similar to the Democratic caucus position, consistent with his leadership position as Whip, which has the duty of persuading senators to follow the party line in their votes.
Abortion issues
- NARAL Pro-Choice America: 100%
- National Right to Life Committee: 0%
- Planned Parenthood: 100%
Agriculture
- National Farmers Union: 100%
Animal rights and wildlife
- Humane Society of the United States: 100%
Budget, spending, and taxes
- Americans for Tax Reform: 5%
- Citizens for Tax Justice: 100%
- National Taxpayers Union: 14%
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce: 45%
Civil liberties and civil rights
- American Civil Liberties Union: 71%
- NAACP: 100%
- Americans United for Separation of Church and State: 100%
Conservative
- Conservative Index - The John Birch Society: 10%
Education
- National Education Association of America: A
Energy
- American Coalition for Ethanol: 100%
Environmental
- League of Conservation Voters: 89%
- Sierra Club: 90%
Family and children
- Children’s Defense Fund: 100%
Government reform
- Citizens Against Government Waste: 4%
- U.S. Public Interest Research Group: 95%
Guns
- Gun Owners of America: F-
- National Rifle Association: F
Immigration
- American Immigration Lawyers Association: 88%
Labor
- AFL-CIO: 100%
Seniors and Social Security
- Alliance for Retired Americans: 100%
- American Association of Retired Persons: 90%
Veterans
- American Legion: 50%
- Disabled Veterans of America: 80%
- Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America: A-
Welfare and poverty
- Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law: A+
Women
- National Organization for Women: 96%
Other
- American Public Health Association: 100%
- Cato Institute: 17%
- Christian Coalition: 0%
Guantanamo interrogation controversy
Durbin received a lot of media attention on June 14, 2005, when on the U.S. Senate floor he compared interrogation techniques used at Camp X-Ray, Guantanamo Bay, as reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with those utilized by such regimes as Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and the Khmer Rouge:
Durbin’s comments drew widespread criticism that comparing U.S. actions to such regimes was insulting to both the U.S. and to victims of genocide. Radio host Rush Limbaugh and White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove accused Durbin of treason, while former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich called on the Senate to censure Durbin. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, whose son Patrick was serving in U.S. Army, also called on Durbin to apologize for his remarks saying that “I think it’s a disgrace to say that any man or woman in the military would act like that”. New Mexico Democratic state party chairman, John Wertheim, and Arizona Democratic party chairman Jim Pederson were also critical of Durbin’s remarks. The leader of the Veterans of Foreign Wars also demanded an apology, as did the Anti-Defamation League Durbin at first refused, but on June 21, 2005, went before the Senate to tearfully apologize for his statement, saying, “More than most people, a senator lives by his words … occasionally words fail us, occasionally we will fail words.”
Several notable commentators supported Durbin. These included British libertarian conservative and former editor of The New Republic, Andrew Sullivan, who praised Durbin for raising serious moral issues about U.S. policy. Other commentators (including liberal commentator Markos Moulitsas Zúniga of Daily Kos) actively condemned Durbin for issuing any form of apology to his critics, believing Durbin to have made a mistake in making himself (rather than detention and torture concerns at Guantanamo Bay) the focus of media coverage.
Electoral history
See also: United States Senate election in Illinois, 2008
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Richard J. Durbin | 2,384,028 | 56% | Al Salvi | 1,728,824 | 41% | Steven H. Perry | Reform | 61,023 | 1% | Robin J. Miller | Libertarian | 41,218 | 1% | Chad Koppie | U.S. Taxpayers | 17,563 | <1% | James E. Davis | Natural Law | 13,838 | <1% | ||||||
| 2002 | Richard J. Durbin | 2,103,766 | 60% | Jim Durkin | 1,325,703 | 38% | Steven Burgauer | Libertarian | 57,382 | 2% | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Richard J. Durbin | 3,516,846 | 68% | Steve Sauerberg | 1,479,984 | 29% |
- Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1996, write-ins received 4,228 votes.
References
- ^ Dick Durbin: The Debater - TIME
- ^ durbin
- ^ “Daughter of Illinois Sen. Durbin dies at 40 — chicagotribune.com”. www.chicagotribune.com. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-obit-christinedur,0,991349.story. Retrieved on 2008-11-01.
- ^ a b “Election Statistics”. Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html. Retrieved on 2007-08-08.
- ^ Dick Durbin: Bush Fighter - January 27, 2005
- ^ Project Vote Smart - Senator Richard J. “Dick” Durbin - Biography
- ^ Gore considers naming VP immediately after GOP convention - June 13, 2000
- ^ The Durbin Abortion Papers
- ^ Richard Durbin on Abortion
- ^ Excerpt from NBC News’ Meet the Press
- ^ Parsons, Christi (2007-12-02), “Dick Durbin’s Challenge”, Chicago Tribune: 15-19, 26-27
- ^ Select Committee on Intelligence (July 9, 2004). “Report on the U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq” (PDF). http://intelligence.senate.gov/108301.pdf.
Durbin, Richard (September 10, 2002). “Assessing Iraq’s military capabilities”. Congressional Record–Senate. pp. S8427-S8429. http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?position=all&page=S8427&dbname=2002_record.
Sweet, Lynn (September 11, 2002). “U.S. lacks Iraq analysis: Durbin” (paid archive). Chicago Sun-Times: p. 5. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=(U.S.%20lacks%20Iraq%20analysis:%20Durbin)%20AND%20date(9/11/2002%20to%209/11/2002)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=9/11/2002%20to%209/11/2002)&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(U.S.%20lacks%20Iraq%20analysis:%20Durbin)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no. - ^ Windrem, Bob; Murray, Mark (May 25, 2007). “Hillary and the 2002 NIE”. msnbc.com. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/05/25/204032.aspx.
CNN (May 29, 2007). “Records: Senators who OK’d war didn’t read key report”. cnn.com. http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05/28/clinton.iraq/index.html.
Raju, Manu; Schor, Elana; Wurman, Ilan (June 19, 2007). “Few senators read Iraq NIE report”. The Hill. http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/few-senators-read-iraq-nie-report-2007-06-19.html. - ^ Dorning, Mike; Chase, John (September 30, 2002). “Durbin opposes Bush war resolution” (paid archive). Chicago Tribune: p. 1 (Metro). http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/199166861.html?dids=199166861:199166861&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT.
- ^ Glauber, Bill (October 3, 2002). “War protesters gentler, but passion still burns” (paid archive). Chicago Tribune: p. 1. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/203569621.html?dids=203569621:203569621&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT.
Strausberg, Chinta (October 3, 2002). “War with Iraq undermines U.N.” (paid archive). Chicago Defender: p. 1. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-220379051.html.
Bryant, Greg (October 2, 2002). “300 protesters rally to oppose war with Iraq”. Medill News Service. http://mesh.medill.northwestern.edu/mnschicago/archives/2002/10/300_protesters.html.
Katz, Marilyn (October 2, 2007). “Five Years Since Our First Action”. Chicagoans Against War & Injustice. http://www.noiraqwar-chicago.org/?p=127. - ^ U.S. Senate (October 10, 2002). “Roll call vote No. 236 on the Durbin Amendment No. 4865″. http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=2&vote=00236.
Sweet, Lynn (October 11, 2002). “Durbin loses bid to limit authority” (paid archive). Chicago Sun-Times: p. 7. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=headline(Durbin%20loses%20bid%20to%20limit%20authority)%20AND%20date(all)&p_field_advanced-0=title&p_text_advanced-0=(Durbin%20loses%20bid%20to%20limit%20authority)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no. - ^ U.S. Senate (October 11, 2002). “Roll call vote No. 237 on H.J.Res. 114″. http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=2&vote=00237.
Goldberg, Michelle (November 11, 2002). “Wellstone was right”. Salon.com. http://dir.salon.com/story/politics/feature/2002/11/02/war/index.html. - ^ Durbin, Richard (April 25, 2007). “Iraq Supplemental Appropriations Bill”. Congressional Record–Senate. pp. S5026-S5028. http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?position=all&page=S5026&dbname=2007_record.
Lengell, Sean (April 27, 2007). “Durbin kept silent on prewar knowledge” (paid archive). The Washington Times: p. A1. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=WT&p_theme=wt&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_text_search-0=Durbin%20AND%20kept%20AND%20silent%20AND%20on%20AND%20prewar%20AND%20knowledge&s_dispstring=Durbin%20kept%20silent%20on%20prewar%20knowledge%20AND%20date(04/27/2007%20to%2004/27/2007)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=04/27/2007%20to%2004/27/2007)&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no.
Oberman, Keith (April 27, 2007). “5. Changing Tenets”. Countdown with Keith Olbermann. msnbc.com. http://thenewshole.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/27/173043.aspx.
SilentPatriot (April 28, 2007). “Sen. Durbin drops bombshells on the Senate floor”. Crooks and Liars. http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/04/28/sen-durbin-drops-bombshells-on-the-senate-floor. - ^ Krol, Eric (May 3, 2007). “GOP goes after Durbin with online ad” (paid archive). Daily Herald: p. 10. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=ADHB&p_theme=adhb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_text_search-0=GOP%20AND%20goes%20AND%20after%20AND%20Durbin%20AND%20online%20AND%20ad&s_dispstring=GOP%20goes%20after%20Durbin%20with%20online%20ad%20AND%20date(5/3/2007%20to%205/3/2007)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=5/3/2007%20to%205/3/2007)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no.
Byrne, Dennis (May 7, 2007). “Oath upheld, but at what cost?” (paid archive). Chicago Tribune: p. 21. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/1266336361.html?dids=1266336361:1266336361&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT. - ^ “House Passes Ban on Smoking on Flights of 2 Hours or Less”. Associated Press. July 15, 1987. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEED6123DF936A25754C0A961948260&scp=5&sq=durbin+tobacco+airplanes&st=nyt.
- ^ Katharine Seelye (March 23, 1994). “Congress Considers Smoking Ban in Schools”. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A02E3D8123CF930A15750C0A962958260&scp=1&sq=Improving%20America’s%20Schools%20Act%20tobacco&st=cse.
- ^ 109th Congress, 2nd session, Senate vote 189 | Congress votes database | washingtonpost.com
- ^ TheHill.com - GOP preps for talk radio confrontation
- ^ Some Illinois lawmakers call for Blagojevich to resign
- ^ Durbin urges special election to succeed Obama
- ^ Barack Obama, U.S. senators, state officials urge Rod Blagojevich to resign
- ^ Congressman Mark Steven Kirk - 10th District of Illinois
- ^
- ^ “Durbin Cautions State on Casino Plan”. WBEZ. 2007-10-08. http://www.wbez.org/Cityroom_Read.aspx?storyID=13874. Retrieved on 2008-11-09.
- ^
- ^ Harper’s Magazine, Stabbed in the Back!: The past and future of a right-wing myth
- ^
- ^ a b Durbin Apologizes for Remarks on Abuse
- ^ Durbin’s Gitmo remarks draw fire back in Illinois
- ^ Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) :: News
- ^ DURBIN STATEMENT OF REGRET (6-21-2005)
- ^ The Daily Dish
- ^ CT article ]
- ^ Daily Kos: Durbin fucked up
- ^ Durbin breezes to third term in U.S. Senate - Chicago Tribune