February 17, 2007, Talkin' World War III Blues
(Updated)
In a follow up from my American Street piece House of Pain (discussing the House vote on a non-binding resolution condemning "The SurgeTM"), it seems that the Senate Republicans, in contrast to their own threats to end fillibusters for their own purposes... now that they are not in the majority... the GOP Senators used a fillibuster (with the expedient of nine GOP senators not even showing up to vote) to block a non-binding resolution in the Upper House.
Go ahead and say what you like about Joe Lieberman: he appears to have bucked the rest of (what he purports to be) his own party members (and seven Republicans) for 56 votes for cloture (or to end the fillibuster and have the damned vote) against only 34 against (9 Republicans conveniently not showing up, and South Dakota's Tim Johnson still in hospital.) [Apparently, while some dogs can talk, they can't count; Jeralyn's count set me straight... I mistakenly forgot that with Lieberman and Sanders in caucus, there are 51 Dems... 50-49, with Johnson incapacitated...] Interestingly, with all the Democrats plus Sanders (Socialist-VT), Specter (Fascist-PA) and Coleman (Opportunist- MN) all voting to end the fillibuster, I believe that makes Lieberman the only Jew in the Senate (I think there are something like 13 now!) to support the President on "the SurgeTM"... and he voted on Shabbos to do it!
So... the President will claim victory, because he used the undemocratic rules of the already undemocratic Senate to undermine the overwhelming sentiment of the American people (and indeed, anyone on Earth without his head up his or her ass... or that of their Saudi overlords). The overwhelming sentiment opposes not only "The SurgeTM", but realizes that the only remaining question for our option as to Iraq is whether we leave now, on our own terms, or later, via helicopters from the Embassy roof.
Well, a big one today... squashing a non-binding resolution that the President himself said he would ignore. Good for you, Mr. President. I'm sure you, Mitch McConnell and the rest of your party must be so proud.
Well, now time passed and now it seems
Everybody's having them dreams.
Everybody sees themselves walkin' around with no one else.
Half of the people can be part right all of the time,
Some of the people can be all right part of the time.
But all of the people can't be right all of the time.
I think Abraham Lincoln said that.
"I'll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours,"
I said that.
Comments
The spangled dwarf in his bowtie.
The infantry that don't ask why.
Hi, remember those Fabulous Sixties?
The ties, they are a-changing.
Posted by Oldboy Bob at February 18, 2007 8:38 PM