The Senate Republicans blocked debate on resolutions which oppose the escalation of the Iraq War. Among those voting for the filibuster were Chuck Hagel, who has spoken out against the war, and John Warner, who even co-sponsored one of the resolutions under consideration which would put the Senate on record opposing the surge and calling for a diplomatic initiative to settle the conflict.
They have found a way to have it both ways. They speak out against the war to gain points with voters who oppose the war but vote for the filibuster help the White House avoid embarrassment. Despite all their talk, by supporting the filibuster they are voting to give George Bush a free hand and voting to prevent Congressional oversight.
The actions of Senator Hagel and Senator Warner clearly show that they would rather stand with their party than stand with the American people. They are after all up for reelection, though Hagel may run for his party’s nomination for the presidency should he decide to run. However, I am glad this non-binding resolution has failed. Perhaps Majority Leader Reid will now be forced to consider binding legislation that cuts funding for the escalation. This weak “sense of the Senate” resolution said it would not cut funding for the escalation to appease Sen. Gregg. Perhaps we will get to see Senator Kerry’s binding legislation get introduced. It sets a date and puts the focus where it belongs on strong and ongoing diplomacy such as the kind used by previous secretaries of state like Kissinger, Albright, or Baker. Unfortunately the bill introduced by Sen. Obama does not put any major emphasis on diplomacy. Also he is not in favor of cutting funding for the escalation of the war. It is too late to cap the number of troops in Iraq we are way past that stage of the war. Senator Kerry’s proposal is far better than his. I hope to see it come to the floor.
What Probus said. 🙁
I’m so over this non-binding baloney and faux display of bi-partisianship, ie, concern for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. We NEED to exercise our diplomacy muscle before it atrophies altogether.
I fear that the nonbinding resolution was the first step to see how many votes they could get for a measure with teeth. It is clear they will have a hard time getting 60 votes now that the Republicans have given up their philosophy of demanding up or down votes. Of course there’s plenty of things the Democrats can stop that the Republicans want and they can always attach restrictions on Bush’s ability to escalate the war to other measures.