Senate Republicans Block Iraq Withdrawal Bill

Those spineless Democrats in the Senate aren't trying.

A couple of years ago when theDemocrats were hinting at a filibuster, the Republicans were yammering "upperdown ...upperdown" and threatening the Nuclear/"Constitutional" option of cutting off filibustering altogether. Of course the Democrats backed down, fearful of appearing obstructionist.

But now that they control the Senate, the Democrats run an hide from even the threat of a Republican filibuster.

As much as I loathe and despise the Republicans who are destroying freedom at home and abroad, I'm terribly disappointed in the Democrats who won't stand up to them.

Maybe the Democrats are playing a clever game -- giving the nation another 2 years of Republican rule so that the voters will be thoroughly sick of all things GOP by November 2008. That's a mighty dangerous game to play.

ReNAMBLAcans message to the troops: A body bag is your only chance at getting out of Iraq,chumps.

I don't like the ideaa of telegraphing when we get out of Iraq, but I also don't think we should be bogged down there either. All we're doing is making sure war contractors make billions in fraud and waste from the American taxpayer (Seriously, who else benefits?). But we need to do our best to not leave a power vacuum or make things any worse than they are, if possible.

110th Congress / Senate / 1st session / Vote 346

* Question: On the Amendment
* Bill: H R 1585
* Vote description: Levin Amdt. No. 2898; To provide for a reduction and transition of United States forces in Iraq.
* Vote type: 3/5 (Help)

Vote totals

Democratic Voting Yes:

Daniel Akaka, Max Baucus, Evan Bayh, Joseph Biden, Jeff Bingaman, Sherrod Brown, Robert Byrd, Maria Cantwell, Ben Cardin, Thomas Carper, Bob Casey, Hillary Clinton, Kent Conrad, Byron Dorgan, Russell Feingold, Dianne Feinstein, Tom Harkin, Daniel Inouye, Tim Johnson, Edward Kennedy, John Kerry, Amy Klobuchar, Herb Kohl, Mary Landrieu, Frank Lautenberg, Patrick Leahy, Carl Levin, Blanche Lincoln, Claire McCaskill, Robert Menéndez, Barbara Mikulski, Patty Murray, Bill Nelson, Barack Obama, Jack Reed, Harry Reid, Jay Rockefeller, Kenneth Salazar, Chuck Schumer, Debbie Stabenow, Jon Tester, Jim Webb, Sheldon Whitehouse, Ron Wyden

Democratic Voting No: Christopher Dodd, Ben Nelson, Mark Pryor

Democratic Not Voting:
Barbara Boxer, Dick Durbin

Independent Party Voting No: Joseph Lieberman

Independent Party Not Voting: Bernard Sanders

Republican Party Voting Yes:

Chuck Hagel, Gordon Smith, Olympia Snowe

Republican Party Voting No:

Lamar Alexander, Wayne Allard, John Barrasso, Kit Bond, Sam Brownback, Jim Bunning, Richard Burr, Saxby Chambliss, Tom Coburn, Thad Cochran, Norm Coleman, Susan Collins, Bob Corker, John Cornyn, Larry Craig, Michael Crapo, Jim DeMint, Elizabeth Dole, John Ensign, Michael Enzi, Lindsey Graham, Charles Grassley, Judd Gregg, Orrin Hatch, Kay Bailey Hutchison, James Inhofe, Johnny Isakson, Jon Kyl, Richard Lugar, Mel Martinez, John McCain, Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski, Pat Roberts, Jeff Sessions, Richard Shelby, Arlen Specter, Ted Stevens, John Sununu, John Thune, David Vitter, George Voinovich, John Warner

Republican Party Not Voting:

Robert Bennett, Pete Domenici, Trent Lott

I suggest all those who voted "no" or who did not vote sign their children and grandchildren up immediately for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sept. 20, 2007 - Imagine a universe where a man can gun down women and children anytime he pleases, knowing he will never be brought to justice. A place where morality is null and void, and arbitrary killing is the rule. A place that has been imagined hitherto only in nightmarish dystopian fiction, like "1984," or in fevered passages from Dostoevsky"or which existed during the Holocaust and Stalinist purges and the Dark Ages. Well, that universe exists today. It is called Iraq. And the man who made it possible is George W. Bush.

The moral vacuum of Iraq"where Blackwater USA guards can kill 10 or 20 Iraqis on a whim and never be prosecuted for it"did not happen by accident.

Oh that one day this will be visited upon America

BOTH parties are at fault. If the Senators with souls, spoke the TRUTH to the American public, this war would be OVER !! Sadly Americans do not hold their politicians accountable. Even worse, they do not take the time to educate themselves. Hence the divide and conquer game is so effective on fool Americans.

HEY - Petraeus' death-count methodology is out!!

MNF-I's methodology identifies a number of factors, necessarily subjective, that help analysts determine whether an attack or a death should be considered sectarian. Ethno-sectarian violence is defined as violence "conducted by one ethnic/religious group against another ethnic/religious group, where the primary motivation for the event is based on ethnic or religious reasons." MNF-I analysts consider the location of the attack -- whether it took place in a mixed area or a homogeneous one -- and the type of attack in order to determine ethnic or sectarian violence.

Interestingly, attacks against "same-sect civilians," U.S. forces, the Iraqi government or Iraqi security forces "are excluded and not defined as sectarian attacks." So even though Sunni insurgent groups loathe the Shiite-controlled government, insurgent attacks on it aren't considered sectarian violence.

Additionally, MNF-I calculates that the use of suicide vests, car bombs and IEDs strongly indicate Sunni perpetrators; and reasons that attacks using those methods on "medical centers, market places or religious symbols, mosques, religious gatherings, stores/restaurants, and housing areas" typically indicate sectarian violence, since those entities are primarily used by "one ethnic/sectarian group." MNF-I acknowledges that in these attacks "there may have been Sunnis killed or injured," and though it says it excludes "same-sect civilians" from the tally, these are counted as sectarian attacks.

For executions, murders and kidnappings -- situations in which sectarianism may be difficult to determine -- MNF-I says it uses "host nation" reporting in addition to its own. Many media and non-governmental organizations consider information on casualties released by the Iraqi ministries to be self-serving, misleading or contradictory.

Cherry-picking anyone?

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004266.php

CuriousPerson

This inhuman POS is an example of repuke/nazicon thinking. I take that back--the chickenhawk bastards don't think.

The reality of US Senate legislation of bills is there are 49 Democrats and Republicans each with 2 Independents. If you consider Lieberman as an Independent with Republican leanings, that would split the US Senate with 50 Democrats and Republicans. With the Vice President breaking the tie, the Republicans will win all the time.

It would be extremely difficult for the Democrats to pass any bills pertaining Iraq because it would need 66.66 or 67 votes (2/3 of 100) to override the presidential veto. They need 17 more votes from the Republicans.

With the unbending decisions of the President with respect to the Iraq war, coupled by the fact that he is a Republican, it is no wonder why the Republicans are still voting against troop withdrawal, even when the majority of Americans are for it.

Cutting the troop funding will also have to go though the same meatgrinder. See below.

Article I, Section 7, of the Constitution provides in part that--

Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it becomes a Law, be presented to the President of the United States.

And that is the reality of how to enact laws with a 50/50 split between Repubs and Dems.

Hope this clears up the confusion on why the Democrats find it extremely hard in passing a Withdrawal of troops from Iraq bill.

And with that we have started our nationwide emailing campaign to make sure everyone we know and everyone they know and everyone they know and everyone they know...know how their Senator voted.

We're watching and keeping score.

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Senate Republicans must believe that a dead or injured American soldier is one less American terrorist to inflict harm on the rest of the world. They have consistently blocked any attempt to reduce troop levels, stop the genocide and stop the fake war on terror.

Their bumper sticker,
Kill and an American Soldier and rid the World of another American Terrorist.

Perhaps they are right.

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The issue in 06 was not the border
or Iraq but Republican corruption.

By the 08 elections, there will be enough
corruption to stain both parties.

The fun with Mr. Hsu has just begun.

And if there is another attack on America,
the Dems can kiss the White House goodbye.



Democrats should not be taking the 08 election
for granted.

To expect Americans to "pay attention" for over a year is asking too much.


If the Dems continue to take the American voter
for granted,
they will be stomped in 08.

Stomped.

5 wars

War on Drugs

War on Terror

Iraq

Afghanistan

The PR War

Ok...who broke Huffpo?

I see the Dems are as effective as ever.

Pussies.