The Senate slumber party–Open thread Update: Liveblogging cont’d–The morning after Update:11:25am Levin-Reed fails to reach 60-vote threshold–52-47; Droopy dog Harry feeds the nutroots; Air America crows Update: Roll added…and the politics of obstructionist obstructionism
Hey, why can’t the senators change their own sheets?
Liveblogging the Senate floor debate (refresh for latest updates)…
Jim Hoft notes that the Dems would not meet with anti-surrender veterans. Power Line has more.
Update 1:04pm Eastern. Teddy Kennedy has sent a new amendment on the education bill to the desk. SA 2327. A Senate source tells me that while this stuff is going on on the floor, there are negotiations happening behind the scenes on the homeland security appropriations bill. Lots of other activity on the Hill–including Condi Rice hitting the pavement: “Among lawmakers scheduled to meet with Rice were Biden, Smith, Sen. John Warner, R-Va., and House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio.”
Speaking of Kennedy, by the way, it was 38 years ago today…
Update 12:41pm Eastern. Specter is objecting to Reid’s shenanigans and tactics. “It’s not just rude, but dictatorial.” Call the waaahmbulance. Just to give you an idea about what’s going on behind the scenes: After pulling the defense authorization bill from the floor, Reid tossed up cloture votes on homeland security and education funding bills in anticipation that Republicans would object–giving him fodder for his “See, they’re obstructionists!” moaning–as he obstructs progress on the defense authorization bill.
Blech.
Double blech: Joe Biden is running for president on Senate floor time.
Update 11:55am Eastern. Guess who’s taking credit for the Senate slumber party? Air America (hat tip: Tim Graham).
Roll added on the Levin-Reed amendment vote (just a reminder that Reid changed his vote to no for procedural reasons).
Update 11:42am Eastern. Eeenteresting. Reid moves for consideration of the homeland security appropriations bill, HR2638. McConnell: Asks when the bill will be taken up. Next week? Reid says now. McConnell objects for the moment. Reid moves for cloture vote. Now, he’s moving to cloture vote on education bill. Specter objects. Notes that slumber party was a “colossal waste of time.” Reid cuts him off. There’s a vote going on now on the higher ed bill.
Update 11:26am Eastern FAILED TO REACH 60-VOTE THRESHOLD…52-47. Droopy dog Harry Reid (who switched his vote to no for procedural reasons) is back on the floor to whine. Castigates Republicans for “supporting the president instead of our troops.” Here comes a serving of BDS/MoveOn talking points: Troops were taken to war “falsely, prematurely, and recklessly.” Wants up-down votes on four other amendments in exchange for up-down on Levin-Reed.
McConnell reserves right to object. Quotes Claude Raines in Casablanca, “Gambling in Casablanca? Round up the usual suspects.” McConnell jibes: “60 votes in the Senate? As common as gambling in Casablanca.”
Reid and McConnell sparring. Reid getting all righteous about McConnell’s Casablanca jibe. “This is not a movie. This is serious.” Tell that to Durbin and his joke toothbrush-toting staffers.
Reid: “We’ll come back to this bill as soon as it’s clear we can make real progress.” Just like he’ll revisit shamnesty…
Update 11:01am Eastern. Cloture vote about to begin. First, Reid asks that senators cast votes from their desks and wants chaplain to pray. “If there were ever a time to pray, it is before this vote.” Motion to invoke cloture is read. 60 votes needed to advance Levin-Reed. Mandatory quorum call has been waived. Stand by…lots of empty seats…GOP senators who support Levin-Reed have cast their Ayes: Collins, Hagel, Smith, and Snowe…Boy George Voinovich is a no…
While we’re waiting, I forgot to note for all the procedural geeks that there was a procedural vote cast at 5:13am on H.R. 1585 (National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 ), passed 37-23, with 40 not voting (presumably snoozing in those cots).
Update 10:50am Eastern. Harry Reid thanks all the employees in the Capitol complex–you know, the ones who had to pick up all of his staff’s pizza boxes.
Now, Reid pats himself on the back: “I would hope that these past two days have shined a bright light on how important our work here is in the Senate.”
Never mind how important the work of our troops are on the ground in every front on the war on terror.
What a narcissist.
Hey, Harry: Where’s Tommy?
Update 10:42am Eastern. McConnell is up–”Anyone tuning in to this debate might have thought they were tuning into an episode of the ‘Twilight Zone.’” Mocks Dems protesting the 60-vote threshhold…With respect to my colleagues asking to let them vote, I say we will vote. But the question is whether it will take 60 votes on a very serious amendment…Last night’s theatrics accomplished nothing…nearly all newspapers noted we could have had a vote…after all the gags, gimmicks, giggles, empty pizza boxes, and cots, we still don’t know what this measure would really mean for our troops, allies, interests…What would the Levin amendment do?”
Update 10:37am Eastern. Co-sponsors of the amendment, Reed and Levin, urge passage of the measure. Levin whining about not being able to vote up or down.
Update 10:33am Eastern. Oh, gag. Schumer is on the floor objecting to “cut and run…That’s the same kind of dangerous, nasty sloganeering that got us into this mess in the first place. The other side has a penchant for avoiding serious debate.”
Seriously.
Update 10:24am Eastern. McCain is back on the floor, chastising the stunt Dems for conducting the exhibition for the amusement of the press corps and appeasement of anti-war forces…they are “substituting theatrics for statesmanship.” I’m giving him some credit: He is reading a good script, but he is no Coburn, Thune, Sessions, or Lieberman. “As long as we have a chance to succeed, we must try to succeed…I will stand where I stand and take comfort that I took responsibilities to my country seriously despite by flaws…in an hour of serious peril…”
Update 10:15pm Eastern. Durbin, Obama, Biden join the parade for Levin-Reed.
Update 10:06am Eastern. Caffeine injection–John Cornyn is speaking. “I don’t believe our presence in Iraq is merely optional. I don’t believe our colleagues who say the only thing that is missing is pressure on Iraqi government…I believe the consequences of (withdrawing) would be disastrous for American national security…blasts Dems who want instant resolution on oil revenue-sharing when American government can’t solve insolvency of our Social Security system…I just think that some of my colleagues are taking an unrealistic approach to how fast we expect Iraqi govt to solve its problems…if you listen not to the armchair generals in Washington, D.C., but to the generals on the ground, Gen. Petraeus, they have stated clearly the consequences of failure to the United States…War is an interactive affair. We can quit fighting, but it doesn’t mean our enemies will. It’s almost as if some of our colleagues want to pull the sheets over their heads and pretend the threat doesn’t exist. Unfortunately, life is not that simple and the threat is not so illusory.”
Update 9:58am Eastern. Okay, I take that award back and give it to Jeff Bingaman, now droning on about Abu Ghraib.
Update 9:38am Eastern: Award for most boring reading of BDS talking points goes to Frank Lautenberg. Get me one of those Senate cots STAT.
Code Pink stayed up to harass Ted Stevens, who wandered a parking lot to nowhere while they heckled him. (Hat tip: Allah)
Update 8:30am Eastern. While the Senators drone, U.S. captures leader of Islamic State of Iraq. More here. Jules Crittenden notes that some wobbly Republicans who were distancing themselves from Bush are now wobbling away from the Dems. And Rick Moran boils down last night’s debate: “Last night was about the politics of blame pure and simple. It was about the Democrats being terrified that caving in to their base on Iraq and bringing the troops home in a Dunkirk style evacuation will precipitate a chain of events in Iraq and the Middle East that would result in genocide, war, and al-Qaeda triumphant. Being politicians with finely honed instincts for survival and with absolutely no clue about what to do in Iraq (join the club, guys), they seek to shift responsibility for the coming catastrophe precipitated by our withdrawal and all the blunders, errors, mistakes, and stupidities that have marked our adventure in Mesopotamia these last 4 years in order to be able to face the voters and point the finger at their political foes.”
Don Surber weighs in and lays in: “So the Senate stayed up last night? Thousands of troops stay up every night. They put in 12-hour days. They are beating an enemy that wants to kill us. Reid’s stunt — his word — showed the American people what pampered babies senators are — and how incompetent the Democratic Party’s leaders are. Bush’s approval is 29%? So what? That is still double the 14% confidence rate of the Democratic-controlled Congress. Bush may be nearing Carter levels on job approval, but Congressional Democrats have already bested the 19% record low they set a 14 years ago. How dare Reid complain about the Iraqi government? He cannot even pass a budget.”
Update 7:18am Eastern. Yes, I’m awake again. Mommy duties and multi-tasking on four hours’ sleep. Plus, we’re launching a new grass-roots campaign that I’ll be telling you much more about soon. Back on the Senate floor, Sens. Hatch, Allard, and Whitehouse have all had their turn at the podium. (Check comments for reviews of Sessions, Stabenow, Hillary, and Ken Salazzzzzzzar.) Mercifully, I haven’t seen the “LET US VOTE” placard yet and no one has waved around the ISG report in the last 10 minutes.
Update 2:48am Eastern. Snowe is still going. Plugged the ISG book. “This is a defining moment,” etc. John McCain is back. He must have had a No Doze. He’s tearing into Harry Reid.
Update 7/18 2:29am. Maria Cantwell and Olympia Snowe gave bleary-eyed speeches. Meantime, I just read the WaPo account of the party. Harry Reid trucked in piles of pizza. And Dick Durbin pulled a stunt for the stunt. What a clown senator he is:
The office of Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) dispatched interns to buy toothpaste, toothbrushes and deodorant for delivery to GOP leadership offices, with a note offering the “supplies for your sleepless night.” It added: “Help us bring an end to this war.”
Update 7/18 1:56am. John McCain–seems a little groggy–weighs in to remind the Senate about progress in Ramadi and Fallujah. Muddled about immigration, but clear-thinking about the war. Thune resumes. “I believe Gen. Petraeus will be very candid in September…I think we should give him and the troops a chance to succeed.”
Side note: Maybe it’s my eyes or my TV, but I swear Sen. Thune looks Oompa-Loompa orange.
Uh-oh. Sen. Webb interrupts to ask whether Thune agrees that there is as much diversity of opinion in the military about the war as there is in the Senate. Thune disagrees with the polls Webb quotes showing anti-war sentiment in the military. Webb continues to interrupt and violate floor rules. Thune: “My understanding is that the senator from Virginia has not traveled to Iraq. (Thune has been three times in three years). My experience is different from his…General view I’ve seen: They believe. They want a chance to succeed.”
Update 7/18 1:38am. Sen. Thune is up, and he’s a terrific injection of energy and clarity. He takes on the Dems’ false “Afghanistan war is good”/”Iraq war is bad” dichotomy. Notes that casualties are fewer in Afghanistan because we have fewer there and because the main fight is in Iraq. If we move soldiers to Afghanistan, they’ll kill more of them there. That’s what the enemy does. The Dems don’t understand that this is a titanic war between good and evil…the problem is it is the same enemy…intent on the same objective…we have to fight al Qaeda every place we can…History has shown that fighting wars by committee does not work…”
Debate sparkplugs: Lieberman, Coburn and Thune.
Debate snoozers: Harkin, Akaka, Feinstein, and Alexander.
Update 7/18 1:29am. Sen. Harkin has bleated “Let us vote, let us vote” at least a dozen times. Uh, just a reminder. Reid and McConnell agreed on a procedural vote no earlier than 5am and a scheduled cloture vote at 11am. Harkin plods on: “Just let us vote.”
Eyelids. Feeling. Heavy.
Update 7/18 12:45am Eastern. Akaka is sleep-walking through his speech. Tom Coburn follows him and the contrast couldn’t be greater. I hope the Coburn people post his extemporaneous remarks. Thoughtful, compassionate, measured, penetrating–without the maudlin theatrics, shouting, gimmick placards, and staff-fed soundbite lines. He does his constituents and the GOP proud.
Re. cloture, Coburn notes: “It’s a precedent that the Senate has had for years…the question we ought to be asking…is..one vote (on Levin-Reed) should not make or break..the rest of the defense authorization bill…”
On Darfur vs. Iraq, Coburn notes his work on Darfur and says: “Darfur is going to be a blip on the screen compared to what will happen to Iraq if we leave now…”
Coburn responds directly to Menendez’s diatribe: “I don’t believe we need to have our moral compasses checked. We just happen to have a difference of opinion…the Iraq war is a perplexing situation for all of us. I believe it is wrong for us to stop in the middle of a surge, which is having some progress–not as much as we’d like, but some–it is my hope that we’ll recognize that the most important question is “Then what?” What happens if the Reed-Levin amendment becomes law? What happens to our troops? What happens in Iraq? Iran? The morale of our military? The rest of the world, when we can no longer be counted upon as a reliable partner? …History will judge this nation on how it handles this situation. We may in fact walk away, but if we do, we belie the heritage of so many who have sacrificed for us in the past…”
Update 7/18 12:27am Eastern.
Aw, poor Harry Reid is tired. He has just asked for the cloture vote to be scheduled for 11am today. We’re going to have another vote sometime later this morning…another vote not before 5am…
McConnell weighs in…clarifies he wants no other procedural roll call votes before 5am…
Will Harry sleep in one of the cots or in his own comfy bed?
You know, all this hoopla about those damned roll-away beds reminded me of what it’s really like to rough it. Remember?
Update 7/18 12:06am Eastern. Jim Hoft has video clips up, including Joe Lieberman, who said tonight: “Some have said this is the only amendment with teeth- But, who does it bite?… This amendment mandates a retreat no matter what the conditions are on the ground… This is an amendment to embrace defeat in Iraq.”
And you know the photo of Menendez and the Dems’ whiny “LET US VOTE” placard that I just posted? Jim Hoft has already started the Photoshop fun. Fish in a barrel!
Update 11:54pm Eastern. Menendez is still pushing “majority vote for majority rule.” He blasts the Republicans who “want freedom of Iraq” but who are a “tyranny of the minority” here at home.
Nutroots will love that red meat moral equivalence.
Gack.
Menendez: “We want the nightmare to end.” I want this diatribe to end!
11:35pm Eastern. Here’s the placard all the Dems are using as a prop…
Reader David points out how the Democrats now want an “up or down vote” now, but opposed the same request from Bill Frist when he was the majority leader: “‘Just let the Senate vote’ they say now, but they denied that very thing when they were the minority.”
11:28pm Eastern. Menendez is playing the chickenhawk card: “If more members of the Senate had family members in Iraq, blahblahblah.” He has now demanded a “majority vote for majority rule” seven times. (Democrats want a simple majority to move Levin-Reed forward; GOP wants 60-vote threshold. Dems only have 51 votes.) “Majority vote for majority rule.” Again. Another one for the Senate slumber party drinking game. More Menendez: “There must be a date certain…a date certain…the message of this body must be ‘if you won’t bring the troops home, we will.’” The “real challenge” is Iran, he says. A reconstituted al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
And the solution to those would be?
Diplomacy! Diplomacy! Diplomacy!
11:21pm Eastern. Collins is holding up the ISG book again. Is she getting a cut of the royalties or what?
Update 11:08pm Eastern. Susan Collins plugs the Iraq Study Group book. I think this is the third senator I’ve seen do that. If you’re playing a Senate floor slumber party drinking game, add this one to the list.
As for me, I need coffee!
Continuing: Collins wants more “Diplomacy.” Here: Diplomacy, diplomacy, diplomacy!
Update 10:58pm Eastern. Oh, God. Sherrod Brown is playing the armor card, reading his staff’s notes about IEDS and Humvees. He’s stuttering and stumbling. Painful. Bring back Joe. The disingenuous whine of the Dems is “LET US VOTE,” a placard Dem senators keep posing in front of through the night. Which party is in the majority?
10:11pm Eastern. Joe Lieberman explains why he will vote against cloture tomorrow morning. “Will we sustain what is a bedrock policy of the Senate to require 60 votes on a matter of great importance to this body? Particularly a matter where there is a lot at stake. This amendment…is a very serious amendment. Some of us believe it would have disastrous consequences for our troops, the region…”
…“The American military will never lose the war in Iraq…if lost, it will be lost by a lack of political will.”
Update 9:59pm Eastern. Mary Landrieu: “This is not a stunt.” Au contraire.
Speaking of stunts, Landrieu pulls her own floor stunt with her gesticulating about how we should be spending all the money going to the Iraq war on finding Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.
Uh, which party has the most vocal voices calling for pulling out of Afghanistan? Yeah.
Update 9:40pm Eastern. Sorry, but Lamar Alexander is making me sleepy. Droning about the Hamilton-Baker report. Zzzzzzzzzzz.
Update 9:20pm Eastern. Dianne Feinstein does her monotone body-count monologue. Recycles Lugar. If anyone believes the war has improved our image, “you’re smoking something,” she jibes. Proposes “repairing America’s image” and “engagement” as the solutions to the Iraq war, stopping nuclear proliferation in Iran, and quelling Muslim violence in Pakistan and Afghanistan. “I really believe this.” You’re smoking something, DiFi.
Bottom line: She basically writes off Gen. Petraeus and the troops. Senators in the gallery applaud.
Update 9:04pm Eastern. There was a motion to instruct the sergeant-at-arms to require the attendance of absent senators. The motion was rejected: 44-yea, 47-nay. But there is a quorum.
McConnell now on the floor…The troops “deserve our resolve…It’s time to end this charade.”
And here’s an excerpt from Kay Bailey Hutchison’s speech:
“It appears that the basic message is to tell the president to change strategy or to tell the generals what to do or to micromanage the war. All different kinds of messages are being proposed. But the bottom line, Mr. President, is that we cannot tell the Commander in Chief, the President, nor the commander on the ground, General Petraeus, how to do the jobs that we have asked them to do. You know, we heard from General Petraeus what the new strategy would be. I keep hearing people say, we need a new strategy. We need a new plan, a new plan. We’re in a new plan. And yet the United States Senate is saying, when the new plan is just in its infancy, when the surge of 30,000 troops has just been completed within the last two weeks, and yet we’re pulling the rug out from under the new plan.
“We cannot be the greatest country on earth and say, don’t trust us if you’re our ally and don’t fear us if you’re our enemy. And that’s exactly what we would be doing if we leave Iraq because Congress sets a deadline, regardless of what is happening on the ground in Iraq.
“This is about a war on terror and protecting our freedom. This is not about Iraq in a bubble. It is about making sure that we kill terrorism in the world before it ruins everyone’s way of life and takes freedom from everyone.
“This is about making sure that Iraq does not become a stronghold for terrorists. This is to make sure that al Qaeda cannot take over Iraq, terrorize the people as they have done in Afghanistan for years, have the oil revenue that would feed their terrorism and spread it throughout the world. We are fighting al Qaeda in Iraq.
“I met with a group of veterans today who had come back from Iraq. They were so strong and so firm. It was uplifting to talk to them, just as it is uplifting to talk to any of our active duty military. But to talk to those who have had the boots on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, who really know what’s happening, you just can’t fail to believe that we have to give this a chance, even if the armchair generals back here in Washington have misgivings.
“This is the policy that the United States Senate must stand for and that is to stand for the integrity of America. The integrity of the greatest country on earth, that we will be a formidable enemy and a reliable ally – that we will not flinch when times get tough. It is a legitimate argument about why we got here or when we should have had more troops or how the war has been run up to now. That is legitimate. We can talk about that and it is a legitimate area to debate. But what is not legitimate, Mr. President, is because it is a very tough time that we would say ‘times are too tough, America must leave.’ What kind of honor would that bring on our country and this United States Senate? None. It would not bring honor on this country to cut and run because times are tough.”
***
By the way, earlier this afternoon, the Senate voted on two war-related amendments. (Correction: Dorgan vote was on the 13th) The Cornyn amendment, “to express the sense of the Senate that it is in the national security interest of the United States that Iraq not become a failed state and a safe haven for terrorists,” passed 94-3, with 3 not voting.
The Dorgan amendment, on bringing Osama bin Laden and other leaders of al Qaeda to justice, passed 87-1, with 12 not voting.
***
7:43pm Eastern. I’m about to put my own kids to bed, but thought I’d open up a thread for comments if you’re watching the Senate all-nighter on the Levin-Reed amendment. Here’s the text. Here’s the latest AP dispatch:
Democrats steered the Senate into an attention-grabbing, all-night session to dramatize opposition to the Iraq war but conceded they were unlikely to gain the votes needed to advance troop withdrawal legislation blocked by Republicans.
“Our enemies aren’t threatened by talk-a-thons, and our troops deserve better than publicity stunts,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader.
McConnell and many other Republicans favor waiting until September before considering any changes to the Bush administration’s current policy. They have vowed to block a final vote on the Democrats’ attempt to require a troop withdrawal to begin within 120 days.
“We have no alternative except to keep them in session to explain their obstruction,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
So far, the legislation has drawn the support of three Republicans, Sens. Gordon Smith of Oregon, Olympia Snowe of Maine and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska.
With a test vote set for Wednesday — capping a day and night of debate — Democratic officials conceded they were likely to get 52 or 53 votes at most. That’s well short of the 60 needed to force a final vote on the measure.
While the issue was momentous — a war now in its fifth year costing more than 3,600 U.S. troops their lives — the proceedings were thick with politics.
MoveOn.org, the anti-war group, announced plans for more than 130 events around the country to coincide with the Senate debate, part of an effort to pressure Republicans into allowing a final vote on the legislation. A candlelight vigil and rally across the street from the Capitol was prominent among them, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., expected to attend.
More to come…
***
Vets for Freedom rallies in Washington.
Blackfive posts recent remarks by USMC Commandant, General Conway, on the long war.
Here’s a blogger report on Cindy Sheehan’s appearance in Charlotte, N.C. Excerpt:
I counted people. At the highest count, there were about 30 Gathering of Eagles folks, about 40-50 pro-Cindy professionals, about 20 press or people with cameras, and about 10 baseball players.
When Cindy’s entourage arrived (without Cindy), it appeared very, very rehearsed. A group made a long walk around with banners and took up a certain position. Then the hippie sang a song while the entourage sang along. Then a very, very angry man recited a poem. Then there was more singing, then another poem. A muslim spoke. Then more talking.
The group was very odd because they were only addressing themselves. Charlotte has a population of about 630,000 people. It seemed that almost none of them showed up — listening to the interviews, many people said they were from places other than Charlotte.
In case you missed it: Inside the war rooms.
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Categories: Harry Reid,Iraq
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Grahamnesty gave Webb a bad time on Meet the Press Sunday, but he still needs to retire.
Grahamnesty – I know what you mean. But I’m a believer that at a point like this, ya gotta close ranks just a bit.
Congradulations to Reid and the Dems: they have inspired and emboldened the terrorists with this farce for at least another 2 years. Nice job, guys.
I crashed at 10pt up at 5am and it took me a few minutes to catch up but it sounds like you guy’s got better sleep than I did. For those of you who stayed up…..WTG!!!
When was the last roll call?
Anyone see one yet this morn?
Yawn……Lindsey is such a bore.
Yeah, Grahamnesty is making sense, too. I still hate him for shamnesty, but this country needs to pick its internal battles wisely.
It struck me that I have heard more eloquent, straightforward and convincing support of the real reason we need to maintain forces in Iraq from Republican senators today than I have ever heard from Bush in the last 4 years.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
The White House has really dropped the ball thus far. Bush needs to get a national address and basically repeat what Hatch, sessions and others have said today. Long overdue and too important to keep hiding from.
NEXT.
Vietnam is no comparison to a Terrorist war…….SHUTUP.
It’s only been polarized because of the left winged fleas.
Gayle, the Dems have been likening it to Vietnam all night.
If you have TiVo, watch Sen. Hatch’s speech. It will help you see that there is still hope in defeating the Dems’ desire for failure at all costs.
Anyone know how many civilian’s, civilian contractors etc. we have over there?
Quite a few. I believe the number is actually higher than US military personnel, but I could be wrong.
I could not watch the SHOW last night.
We had a major electrical storm…..
Just catching up this morning.
Glad I didn’t watch it…I’d be bald by now.
Thank’s PB,
I was just curious.
Sen Chambliss is yet another Republican chastising the Dems for holding the funding for our troops hostage with this “support our troops” amendment.
Outstanding! This needs to be pointed out loud and clear so the public truly understands how much the Dems actually “support” our personnel!
Holy cow! More body counts from the Left.
YGBSM!
Totally UNSAT.
Sen Lautenberg wailing like a ol’woman!
Do these idiots really believe that the way to protect and defend the Constitution
is to protect our troops from danger?
I say just the opposite is true, we must send our treasured loved ones to the front
of the fray. How else will our future be assured?
Now he is wailing about Osama!
Sen Graig, he will be good on this.
Idaho did us right by sending him to Seante.
The Senate is nothing but a bunch of embarrassing buffoons.
I would like to know more details on the projects the civilians are working on and completion date’s. Anyone know where this info is???
Can someone get me video links to some of the highlights? Like Mccain ripping into Reid?
And I’d like to thank Sen. Reid for doing this. It’s fixing that little problem of “Senator Creap” we were getting…
Welcome back, Senate Republicans. Please make sure to grab a spine and a pair as you cross back over.
Someone tell a Senator to play LOUD audio/video of the Dems yelling about listening to the Generals, and Sept’s deadline.
I don’t understand why the Republicans played along with this silly stunt. Why didn’t they all just leave the Capitol leaving one senator to object to any motions. Why give credibility to this stunt?
Dan, probably because they wouldn’t trust just one, Senator of choice might flip-flop…..lol
Because they miss college and pulling all-nighters, and figured it might be fun.
And it’s VERY entertaining watching the Republicans being WAY more awake and coheriant than the Dems.
Though, I suppose it’s almost always like that, isn’t it.
Darn work. I wanna be watching this today.
b/c we have a bunch of republicans who have managed to misplace their man-parts…
swj, It might be on CSPAN Radio.
c-span.org
Fun with Paint Shop Pro
Sen Dingy is up, thanking the guys who changed the sheets.
Does he not know what subject is on the
floor ?
First off, if it’s an “all-nighter”, WHY are there beds? Those of us who have worked graveyards NEVER got a bed! SOME ALL NIGHTER! And…since they knew they would be doing this, WHY didn’t they bring their own toothbrush etc? Are the taxpayers paying for all these supplies?
FIDDLING WHILE ROME BURNS. What a bunch of losers!
Uh Oh, I sense another “Tommy Story” coming.
Boo, Can we shot Reid for tresson now?
Dingy called Bush presidency a failure, how does he look in the mirror?
Bush has kept our country safe, even in the face of Clinton’s 8 years turning a blind eye to the terror threat.
Any bets on the vote outcome?
I’ll say 55 yes, 44 no
MM, thank you so much for covering this sham of a Senate session. Anyone who can stay awake through hours of hit air blubbering of the most unimpressive Seante in years deserves praise.
All night even the Dems have been saying it will go down in flames, but the vote is on now we will know shortly.
Traitor Dingy’s effort will fail, just like his total leadership of the Senate.
56-43
Darn, I cant hear them.
Watching this I have become convinced that if, for whatever reason, Ringling Bros., Barnum and Bailey should ever cease to exist we do not face any substantial loss. The U.S. Senate could simply go on tour. Probably a better show too–lots more clowns.
Counted 36 nay
missed couting the aye vote
I think we’re up to 38+ nays
grassley = 40 if I am correct
one more or two more and it pushs it over.
Did I see Specter light a cig as he walked off the floor after he voted NO?
by my count cloture fails, still waiting for the tally
That should of been 41 now, It’s got to be over the top now. The nays have it.
The dingy stunt man knew it would fail, but he had to lead
It’s gone down…Dingy voted NO
Did Reed vote Hay?
that was the nev. reed
I mean nay
Tommy Reid voted aye.
OH MY! It is hot there and the troops have on equipment, well that changes my mind.
These “servants of the public” make me want to vomit! They are pampared overpaid, American royalty. They get wined and dined, they give themselves raises in the dead of night, they make sure they become millionaires while in office, they abuse their power, they are lazy and indifferent to most issues that are important to Americans, and they are the tool of their repsective parties and the special interest therein. We have to stop these ridiculous little men (and women) from ruining America…almost to a person, the Congress is corrupt and useless…it’s becoming the U.N. of America…Staying up all night…ooooo…how daring…that’ll show us how hard they are working!…yeah, right…and what got accomplished?..except for some overtime for the folks supporting those criminals!…NOTHING…NIL…NADA….we have to continue putting pressure on these people like we did when they finally dropped the Amnesty bill….DUMP CONGRESS…start over again…
On July 18th, 2007 at 11:25 am, DanME said:
It’s gone down…Dingy voted NO
He voted NO, so that he can have the option to bring it up later.
Any Senator has that option if they want to change their vote. As I understand the rules.
I guess our enemies won’t be popping the corks quite yet. What a disappointment our enemies must be dealing with now. no Akbar for their Allah today. But they’ve still have Reid to give them hope.
I wonder how much this little slumber party cost us.
I work at one of the Smithsonian (federal funded) Museums, and every time we have an event, every little things COSTS. Not to mention when it runs after regular business hours, the costs just keep going up and up. And we dont even deal with all these “high” profile people.
I wonder if they wouldn’t mind sending me some money out of their pockets so I can invite a hundred or so of my friends over for an all night pizza party.
The irony is that Reid used manager amendments so many times when he was in the minority but now deplores the same usage by the other side.
Monetarily, the military or as a country?
Robotic/Moronic REID
Dingy made Specter very mad!
I hope he pays him back in full
Nice to see Reid’s arrogant lack of interest in open-dialogue & opposing views….
He’s such an @$$.
MM, glad to see you got a little sleep. We need you fresh for the next smack-down.
Props on the updates!
P.S. I am in – deport them now!
Just as MoveOn has been pushing Reid said he will keeping up with the cut and run amendments to bills.
Now thats clarity.
If anyone is an expert in what constitutes a collossal waste of time it’s Spector!
Reid doesn’t know when to quit. It’s a shame he isn’t as dogmatic on the WOT.
Give ‘em Hell BYRD!
I watched some of this last night. I liked Coburn’s comments, and Thune was pretty good too. Suffering through Menendez, Harkin, Collins, Snowe, and that pathetic sack of pudding Debbie Stabeminthebacknow was just about too much.
I haven’t heard my former governor and current Senator Lamar Alexander directly, but what I’ve been hearing from local media makes me very angry with him. He’s trying to take refuge under the ISG Report as well, and Corker has been silent as far as I know.
I love Tennessee, but these guys are making me want to move to Sweet Home Alabama and be represented by Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III. For a Vols fan, that’s a hard thing to contemplate.
One last thing: Rush just said the only people in the world who can count on the Democrats are the enemy. This stunt was nothing more than fundraising from MoveOn.org and the nuttiest of the net. Dingy Harry doesn’t really want to pass any of this, it’s just appeasement of their kook-base. That makes some sense, no?
Senator Spector on the floor for the past 15 minutes or more whining about being “rudely” interrupted by Senator Reid. We get it, already. This debate isn’t about you and your senatorial customs and sensibilities.
I guess weatherman are not alone. Being a Democrat Senator, you can be wrong 99% of the time and still keep your job.
These people are a joke and I wish bad MOJO on them all.
Liberalism is a disease, and the only cure is death.
Michelle’s oh gag and belch remarks are making me laugh….thank you
I think that’s “blech”, but I’d give $20 to see her belch..
Sorry Michelle.
As our on the ball Boss noted:
July 18, 2007
38 Years Ago Today – Ted Kennedy Killed A Woman
And he was well on his way to becoming the soul of the Democrat Party. Pathetic.
From this web site:
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/188739.php
My favorite bumper sticker;
Ted Kennedy has killed more people with his car than I have with my guns.
oppsie, my bad…
just a good…
Are these Senate clowns exempt employees? I hope so, because paying them overtime is a nonstarter in my book.
I went to sleep at a reasonable hour and went to work like a normal person. I take it I missed what the democrats accomplished last night…absolutely nothing.
eric
http://www.blacktygrrrr.wordpress.com
My dad reminded me of an old poster.
A picture of Nixon with the line “Would you buy a used car from this man?”
A picture of Teddy withe the line “Would you ride in a car with this one?”
MM is true to form: Those who agree with her blind/unthinking support of the war are thrilling speakers, those who don’t are soooooooo boring!!
For a woman who prides herself on her objectivity, she proves again that this is hardly true.
Is that you Dingy Harry? Late night huh?
Surprise Suprise MikeB is on the wrong side of the argument yet again.
Only good thing about liberals is eventually they will die.
but don’t question Mike B’s support for our dumb, poor, uneducated troops. He has a second cousin or something that he spoke to a couple of times at one of his family reunions who actually considered enlisting – you know – so they could get all the free stuff that the military gives you when you sign up. He really knows what he’s talking about.
BTW Mike B., did you bother to read how Michelle describes herself on this very blog? Here it is:
That means, (in case you need clarification on this point,) that she comes from a conservative viewpoint.
MM is not objective when it comes to our
country, troops, children, traitors, laws,
borders, security, and many other things.
And neither are we, that is why we love her.
libs are brain dead long before reaching room temp
Surprise, surprise, surprise, conservatives retaliate with personal attacks. FYI, I am close to my first cousin in Akbar. Not that that is relevant, MM with no family members in the armed forces, has no problem with military adventurism.
On the objectivity issue, isn’t MM who dedicates 1/3rd of her time to chiding the MSM for not being objective (the other 1/3 is on immigration and 1/3 on condemning Muslims). As someone who doesn’t even attempt objectivity is she one to judge media outlets?
MikeB:
MM is a blogger / columnist and opinion contributor. She is not a “Reporter” in the sense of the MSM, such as CBS, NBC, etc….
Therefore, her subjectiveness if perfectly acceptable.
It is those news outlets who are supposed to be REPORTING news, not editorializing it, that MM has a problem with because many inject their opinions / bias into the NEWS REPORTING.
You have a first cousin in Akbar – but then say it is not relevant – but then admonish MM for not having family members in the armed forces.
I see no reason why those of us without family members in the military can’t have a voice in this debate.
I have had friends / co-workers who have served over there. The comments I have heard from them when I asked them their opinions about the war were this:
” Did we go there for the right reasons? I don’t know. Are we doing good work there? Yes – no question. ” But their complaint is that the positive actions / progress is NOT being reported accurately. That is coming from the soldiers / frontline. Not the Generals or Politicians.
And you really need to lay off the persecution for objecting to Illegal Immigration & criminal Illegal Immigrants as well as this BS you keep spewing about her condemning all Muslims.
I asked you yesterday to provide proof of where MM has been against LEGAL immigration and/or ALL Muslims.
I have yet to see your proof of these allegations.
mikeb = yawn
Have they debated the Dream Act amendment to this bill yet? Hagel, Lugar and Durbin are the sponsors this time. Of course if this bill doesn’t go any where neither will the Dream Act, but more proof they are trying to piece-meal the Shamnesty into law. Washington Watch
POTUS Bush has an approval rating 2.4 times higher than the Democrat controlled Congress.
So I guess the people have spoken, the people support POTUS Bush and want us to stay in Iraq and finish what we started.
The American People have spoken Mr. Reid.
Only good about liberals is eventually they will die.
Mike:
I have 2 first cousins that served, one of which was in theater last year. Both brothers have served, one just left theater a few months back, my Dad was a Marine reservist having just barely missed Vietnam (the war ended while he was in Basic), his Dad was a pilot in Vietnam, my Grandfather on my mother’s side was Army during the WWII era, and finally, I was active duty Army for several years and was in theater about two years ago.
My whole family is pretty solidly behind the war.
What you call “adventurism” I call, “defending myself and my nation against Muslim radicals that want to (and have been trying to for decades) kill us.”
It’s doubtful you and I will see eye to eye.
I love MM and think she is right, the MSM is horribly biased and I could bore you with first hand observations of said bias, but then, why bother, it’ll just be an anecdote that doesn’t prove a thing as far as you are concerned.
People of the site, I wasn’t arguing that you need to have family members in the war to have an opinion (I just brought up my cousin because several of you here accused me of being an out-of-touch liberal with no “personal” stake in the war). I also wanted to point out that, as Sen. Webb pointed out, although MM doesn’t like him, that the members of the armed services don’t speak with one voice and war hawks should not pretend that they speak for the troops.
You’re wrong. I don’t expect you to correct or apologize. But if you keep making false assertions, you will not be here much longer.
MikeB:
You obviously are back-tracking because if you were NOT trying to argue that those with family members have a true stake in the war, compared to those who don’t – you wouldn’t have added that bit about MM.
Hey, Michelle – can we can an up or down vote on MikeB’s continuation here if this keeps up?
Woo Hoo~~ MM b**** slapped Mike.
That was awesome.
I stand corrected. But, what am I wrong about having family members in the military or having no problem with military adventurism or both?
Dersu said:
My favorite bumper sticker;
Ted Kennedy has killed more people with his car than I have with my guns
Ted Kennedy has killed more people driving than I have shooting.
swj719AWG said:
A picture of Teddy withe the line “Would you ride in a car with this one?”
Would you let this man drive you home?
Would you let this man drive your daughter home?
If you haven’t checked the updates at the top of this segment – I strongly encourage all of you to do so. The story link regarding the Dem Leadership’s refusal to meet with pro-surge veterans is a must-read!
MikeB…quit being such a little sissy. Make your arguments on facts and sound reasoning…you’re on the wrong site if you just want to vomit out moveon.org talking points. and yes, I served….and my Grand dad and my Dad and my brother, and uncles, and cousins all served. My family has been in WWI, WWII, Korean War, Viet Nam, Panama, and Iraq. So I think we deserve to have our opinion held in some regard, especially when it supports our country.
This is well beyond derision, it’s plain damn rude to insert yourself into this house and impugn the character of the person who kindly let you in.
Come to my house and behave rudely and you’ll most likely feel my boot on your a$$ as your thrown through the damn door!
If you’re unable to understand how flaming left the main stream media is that’s not only your own fault but proves your inability to understand any of the logical conversations taking place here either.
Michelle, MikeB has quite overstayed his welcome.
I have had a bumper sticker for years now that reads; Kennedy for lifeguard.
But hey, Edward Morrow Kennedy has done so much for the country that has let him slide for so much, wrongdoing.
PBoilermaker said:
Michelle, MikeB has quite overstayed his welcome.
If I am walking with two others, each of them will serve as my teacher.
I will pick out the good points from each and try to imitate them, and the bad points from each and try to correct them in myself.
- Confucius
I agree MikeB needs to leave.
Why let one purposely sour our good day.
That is as about as polite as I can be about it.