Tuesday, February 06, 2007

And the Word of the Day is Spineless

I knew it. Just when I began to hope that a few Republicans had seen the light on Iraq, they showed me once again why that party is not to be trusted. Led by the nose by Mitch McConnell and Trent Lott (remember him—the guy who praised Strom Thurmond’s run for the presidency on a blatantly racist platform?), Senators Chuck Hegel and John Warner voted against debate on the non-binding resolutions criticizing the president’s ill-conceived surge. Spineless. And hypocritical—what happened to all the high-handed talk about the “nuclear option” if the Democrats used such procedural maneuvers when the Republicans had all the power?

I'd say this was unbelievable, but the thing is, I completely believe it.

8 comments:

dive said...

Though I almost have to admire the way George is intending to pay for his proposed massive additions to dead American Servicemen and women.
$66 billion in cuts to Medicare for the elderly (over five years, so they'll still be suffering under a Democrat president), and $12billion in cuts to Medicaid for the poor.
What a nice man …

Sassy Sundry said...

Oh yes. I noticed that. He's such a compassionate conservative.

Carissa B said...

this is me shaking me head. I'm not sure I've ever been so depressed about the incompetence of the government.

Old Knudsen said...

I left a political comment here but forced myself to delete it, I am so proud of myself.

Scout said...

I really don't understand, although the Republicans do what they can to distance themselves from Bush they still put up barriers to open discussion on such a critical subject. This issue isn't over yet.

james said...

Caught this on Huffington's post today:

"While American citizens saw a procedural motion to move to "debate" the Warner-Levin Iraq War Resolution lose a 49-47 vote, what they did not see was a snarling, nasty tug-of-war between Reid and Durbin on one side and McConnell and Lott on the other that ripped the guts out of any possible comity needed to get to that debate.

This writer has learned that Senators John Warner, Olympia Snowe, and Chuck Hagel -- and others -- were highly irritated, angry in fact, with both sides and elected to vote against the procedural motion until the party leaders on both sides of the aisle ceased their antics.

I was as confused as anyone by the votes cast by Warner, Snowe and Hagel who were real stakeholders in the resolution that was being fought over. But it is now clear that in the eyes of these Senators, the Republican Party leadership and the majority Democrats chose to slug each other silly in ways that preempted any ability to secure the votes needed to assure debate. In that circumstance, the Senators who have signed the letter below decided to vote against the resolution in that climate.

Essentially, these seven Senators [Snowe, Warner, Hagel, Collins, Coleman, Smith, Voinovich] have said to their own Republican leadership and the Democrats to "shape up" or a "pox on both your houses. . . The "huge get" of this letter is Senator GEORGE VOINOVICH. He was not on any of the previous resolutions.


found it pretty insightful. Linky

Sassy Sundry said...

Thanks, James. I hadn't seen this. I still think that it was cowardly of them not to vote for debate, but this does shed some light on things.

james said...

Yeah the disappointment resounds. I was disappointed when Hagel, Biden and Reid all agreed to a less aggressive proposal, even before the debate ceased. But...that's playing politics i guess.