Webb amendment Fails! UPDATED: RNC head says it demeaned the troops!
By John Amato Tuesday Sep 18, 2007 5:31pmThe vote was 56-44. It missed the 60 vote minimum. Warner helped torpedo whatever chance it had to pass because the White House got to him as usual....Let's thank the Rubber stamp Republicans for not supporting our troops. And I'm so sick of these very honorable people. As Duncan notes: "Everything sure did change, with that Webb amendment getting the same number of votes it got last July" Kudos to Senator Webb for standing strong anyway.
RNC Chair Mel Martinez says that resting the troops is demeaning to them. Wanker...
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via Greg:
'Martinez: "I think we would demean their service if we were to say to them that there had to be a parity between the time in service out of the country and the time at home."
"The reenlistment rates of those who have served in the theater are larger than those of any other. And, in fact, it is a testament to their courage, to their valor, and their sense of duty to their country. I think we would demean their service if we were to say to them that there had to be a parity between the time in service out of the country and the time at home. The goal ought to be for us not to have 15-month deployments. The hope would be that these would never be necessary. But the mandate from congress that this is how we must operate our armed forces I think is ill-conceived, it is dangerous and does not serve either the national interest of our nation nor the interest of the soldiers on the field whom it is intended to serve.
"We should not have a subterfuge of policy to change direction in Iraq heaped on the back of our brave young men and women in uniform..."
Good.
My heart is already breaking
dogeatdogi @ 2:
I know exactly how you feel ~~
*
The amendment to restore Habeas Corpus failed. :(
The vote to do anything good fails. This probably will too. :-/
Blue Buddha @ 4:
Yep, and here are the 43 reasons why.
You might also be interested to see that 17 Republican senators who voted against habeas today are up for reelection in 2008 ... let's call their offices, hmmm, and remind them how much we'll work to boot them out next year?
hah, Norm Coleman voted I...because he's up against Franken.
We must reach a critical mass in this country if we are going to succeed in getting these issues passed. How to go about getting this critical mass is up for debate.
Perhaps we should all show up to Washington with our own tazers and let these folks know what we are wanting them to do. A little ZAP if they fail to follow our instructions.... Hearing too many people talk about the Florida incident like it was warranted. Time to put it to work for US!!...
Ben @ 7:
I hope Franken or Ciresi kicks Coleman's ass.
Larry Craig votes no...he was tapping his foot while waiting.
This is all a waste of time. The Repugs and Demoncrats are only going to accomplish one thing...NOTHING! Does anyone really think anything will get passed to bring our troops home in the next year?! Both parties only do enough to keep your votes. They are all full of empty promises.
IMPEACH. REVOLT. REBUILD.
Watching c-span now, and I'm not sure about something. Are they voting on cloture or the bill itself...
It's not looking good if they need 60.
I hate this shit. We get our hopes up and then we get kicked in the ass......again.
We are like Charlie Brown and the Repubs are Lucy, yanking away the football every time.
For every No vote, I take a swig of Samuel Adam's Octoberfest (Brewer * Patriot)
Ol Noe just voted no.....figures
Time to run some major ads.... specific references to the amount of time our troops have been in Iraq, the fact that their "mission" has been accomplished (Saddam IS GONE)... there have been elections (be sure to show those damn purple fingers the Republicans are so quick to include in their references to the act of Iraqi's voting for the "very first time"..... Give details of the amount of time someone is IN Iraq, how much time they get to spend "home", how many times they've been sent back and the total number of months before they get to return home (before being sent back again, I'm sure). Then run through the pictures of every single Senator that voted AGAINST them having a decent break!!! If things are going so swimmingly, then this is a no-brainer. Let them come home for a much needed rest from the sheer success of it all!!!!!
56-44...bitches
Blue Buddha @ 4:
repugs and red dog dems, i bet!
When is this damn nightmare going to end?
yeas = 56
defeated and dejected, I become a little more cynical.
56-44, the amendment is withdrawn
BaScOmBe @ 19:
All republicans and...ultra-right-wing holy joe
Why do you Americans insist on remaining under my authoritarian rule? Isn't there any fraudulent, corrupt, incompetent, self-serving, destructive, anti-Constitutional, hypocritical or illegal act I can do that is bad enough to convince you all that I should be booted out of office? Answer: NO!!! I OWN THE PRESS!!! Let the tasering begin!!!
With this vote those clowns just told the entire world that we are a fascist nation.
FU*K! The nightmare continues brought to you by a bunch of bastards who do not deserve the respect of out military and they just proved it.
Joe Klein's conscience @ 10:
You and me both! Norm Coleman is such a sleazy, ugly doushebag!
John McCain said "Mission Accomplish." Actually, it was Accomplishment, but still an interesting choice of words.
RichStraightWhiteAmericanMale @ 24:
Why I oughtta...!!!!!!
I would SO tell you off...if it weren't for the fact that you would retaliate by raising my rent, cutting my medical benefits and put prayer in public schools....sir.
;P
Great... now McCain is spewing some spin while Stevens is behind him, counting sheep jumping through a series of tubes.
Like Bill Maher said recently, even though the Dems won the majority, there are still just enough Republican assholes--and one Joe Lieberman--to screw it up! MoveOn.org needs to start airing some ads fingering each of the bastards that voted against this one by one and in "Betray us" style, accuse each of them of not supporting the troops by giving them the rest they need!
McCain's little soldier is probably at full attention after the outcome of that vote.
webb just ridiculed tha latest schitty attempt to amend the amendment.
"gobbledygook!" :lol:
I'm so tired of these lunatics claiming to "support the troops". Every damn time they get a chance to prove it, they flip the troops the bird.
Why do they need 60?
support the troops to the repubs means support the prez as the all knowing daddy figure
Please...someone get Harry Reid out of the center chair in the Senate.....PLEASE. He has absolutely no control in there as further exemplified by this afternoon's series of votes.
Captain Kangaroo @ 35:
Because our King will veto it.
Today i feel completely obsurd. Is it just me?
JFK -- by Oliver Stone (1991) is a good film that makes your realize how hard it is to do anything honestly in this country. It's still worth the fight though. We need better legislation. We need better investigators. We need a better more truthful media.
If the Democrats do not take this to the bank on the Repugs not supporting the troops I will put my head in the sand and pay no attention to politics ever again. The Dems have to scream this far and wide and often until the election. Every time a repug says anything about supporting the troops they need to have this shoved down their throat. With my fist.
Oh fuck, Laura Ingram is on Tucker singing the praises of Freddy Thompson. I may throw a rock.
McCain put up this non-binding bs to try to cover the repubs asses who voted against the Webb amendment. Screw him and them, it's nothing but chicken shit cover and it doesn't cover a thing.
Okay, we knew this was coming. The votes are the votes and the numbers are the numbers.
This vote indicates that the Republicans are simply unconvincable on this. They're all-in with Bush's weak-ass hand and there's nothing they can do but play it out.
The time is now to put the pressure on the DEMOCRATS not to simply let this fade into the distance and move on.
Time to take a page from the Republican book. When you win on an issue, great. When you lose on an issue, hammer..FUCKING HAMMER...your opponents with their victory.
"Senator Handjob SAYS he supports the troops, but did you know that Senator Handjob voted to send crippled orphans into combat?"
Reintroduce the amendment every week. Get ads on the air. Attack...attack...attack everyone who voted against it.
Attack. Them.
Don't just whine that you don't have the votes. If you're RIGHT and you KNOW it, keep making the case.
This bill should not have been controversial. It's basic common decent humanity for Christ's FUCKING SAKE!!!
Stand up. Stand up for what is right and be not silent until justice is done or the heavens fall.
For once.
In your miserable, weasely, back-stabbing lives, you bastards.
Ben @ 38:
No that is not the reason. What IS the reason they need 60.
Captain Kangaroo @ 41:
Exactly! I'm tired of this mealy-mouthed polite sh*t. Either this damn country is worth fighting for, or it isn't. What do you say, Dems?
I agree Capt Kangaroo. This should be the guts of the next MoveOn ad. Let everyone know who truly supports the health and well being of the troops and who pretends that they do in order to obey a cowardly president.
JasonS @ 44:
Right on!! Get ready for email addresses and phone numbers.
To overcome the filibuster. When the GOP is in power, they insist on the up or down vote.
When the Dems are in power, the GOP won't allow any votes.
That's the current version of Democracy.
Letter to the editor of local papers gets the word out at no charge
> No that is not the reason. What IS the reason they need 60.
To stop the filibuster. They should have MADE the fucking Repugs filibuster this one. Made them stand up there and babble their pseudo-constitutional "commander-in-chief" nonsense and answered each one...EACH ONE...with a story of a vet who's lost his marriage, bankrupted his family, not seen her children in a year, etc.
Put. Their. Pictures. Up.
Captain Kangaroo @ 45:
To end the Republican filibuster. You need 60 votes to stop debate on an issue, it's a tactic the Repubs have been using since loosing the senate last year.
I meant fighting for the troops, our citizens, our Rights, fighting for the Constitution, etc. I'm well passed the "Enough!" stage.
SoSickOfIt @ 46:
I don't know how much more I can take. I am so down right now the underside of a rock looks like up to me. I got my passport and I changed most of my money to another curency just in case. For my grandchildren, it may be time to leave and find a safe house in another country.
That's what I meant earlier. The Dems always let the Reps frame the debate, no matter what it is. I'm tired of all this polite sh*t. Fight like you mean it fer petes sake. Get some fire in your belly and treat the issue with the passion it deserves!
Mitch @ 49:
This is all nonsense. The occupation should be over by now. The dems do NOT need to provide any funding at all. They do NOT need to write any legislation. They do NOT need 60 votes. They don’t need 66 votes to overcome a filibuster. ITS ALL DAMN LIES.
THEY DON’T HAVE TO DO A DAMN THING and the occupation will come to an end. Just don’t give the war junkie (bush) another (fix) money. The overwhelming majority of the country is behind ending the occupation. Put the ball in Bush’s court. Let him decide whether to Bring the troops home or keep them there with no ammunition and supplies and the Republican party will basically implode and disappear from existence. This is THE moment the Dems have been waiting for. But they’re too stupid, cowardly or bribed to take advantage of it.
This is just as shameful as the rejection of restoring habeas corpus. What the heck is our world coming to? They're just a bunch of fearful old women up there in the Senate aren't they?
Not to worry, these Republican bitches will pay in 2008.
Wow... even McCain's "Let's cover our asses" bill failed: 55-45.
I blame the republican congress. they are scum. Traitors to the American People.
Is anyone else watching C-Span and hearing the CRAP Cornyn is presenting ... an amendment of the "sense of the senate" regarding Iraq, General Petreus, etc. It's sickening!!!!!!!
‘Martinez: “I think we would demean their service if we were to say to them that there had to be a parity between the time in service out of the country and the time at home.”
Right.... but you still take your vacation and time off of work. Now, that is demeaning the troops!
Martini..ez is either constantly drunk, or he is as stupid as a block wall. I'll bet he'll
never ask the troops how they feel. He ain't got the guts, and neither do the rest of the chickenhawks. Being the cowards that they are, they have to back their coward of the V.P. and preznit.
Where's the roll call?
Am I a mean person if I just want Bush to frigging die?
Bastards. I understand about the numbers and votes, but damn. How on earth do you deny these guys some time off, and then go out for a steak dinner, go back to your comfy hotel room or to your family, and watch Dancing with the Stars with a clear conscience? I don't frigging get it. Bastards
It's not veteran Jim Webb who has a son in Iraq who wants to help the troops. It's the combat dodging, drunk, coked up chickenhawk chimperor and his sidekick 5-Vietnam-Deferrments-Dick-Cheney who support the troops....in upside down wingnutland that is.
txlvn @ 61:
Oh jumping Jesus motherfucking Christ on a Segway... the asshole pulled out the Moveon.org ad. What the hell is wrong with these people?!?!
Blue Buddha @ 59:
What's this Move on Amendment, Christ, they get their panties in a bunch over an ad supposedly smearing Patraeus, but find nothing wrong with grinding down our troops to meat paste? These guys need to die! Sorry, but they friggin' do. John Cornyn is a prick. A short, stubby, flacid dick.
I have always been bewildered by the lack of vision or insight that 99.99999999999999% of these so-called "religious right" folks actually have. These freaks need to be re-educated in the ways of hard labor. I would go so far as to strip them naked (close my eyes when doing so) and toss them into the wild forest for a couple of weeks. There they can absorb virtue and the humble appreciation of being chosen by many to represent our people! And when these rich well to do assholes crawl out of the woods onto the road I hope a black gentleman is the only one that stops to help. And if he never comes out of the woods....se-la-vie.
Mitch @ 49:
It's a filibustering tact, though not a filibuster itself.
The Dems want to send the Webb Amendment for a vote. When they ask for this there is normally a voice vote, yea or nay for the cloture of debate.
In this case(as in many lately), a Senator can object to the ruling on the voice vote and ask for a vote Senator-by-Senator basis. 60 votes are required to close the debate.
This way the opposition can say that they didn't vote against the troops best interest- though they did!- and say, instead, that they voted merely to discuss the amendment a bit more and , ya know, make it better.
bunyip @ 65:
NO.
"tactic"
There's only one thing you should do - ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK! - put it in a `move on` style ad, leaflet etc. Dems should put out their own literature so that folk can hand it in the street, phone those people who don't usually vote, put out a trestle table at your local main street with leaflets and petitions.
Email and phone numbers (some):
democraticparty@democrats.org Democratic Committee 202-863-8000
caffertyfile@cnn.com
KOlbermann@msnbc.com
countdown@msnbc.com
rrhodes@airamericaradio.com
theyoungturk@yahoo.com 323-866-8201
info@JoeBiden.com Email Biden often on this. He really supports the troops.
janehamsher@firedoglake.com
pachacutec01@gmail.com
thinkprogress@americanprogressaction.org
pr@americanprogressaction.org
info@barackobama.com
866 808 0065 Senate Offices. Call ask for a certain Senator and then leave a message. If this number does not work try this: 202 225 3121
Edward Kennedy 617 565 3170
I’m looking for more.
Yeah, if I was a Republican, I wouldn't want them coming home while I was still in office, either. I mean, that's just asking for it!!
The ONLY time I've ever seen this damn ad has been when a talking right wing nut job.... paid to spew, or elected by morons ... has been holding the damn thing and bad mouthing not only MoveOn.org, but democrats. Now... when did I hear them talking with the same distain, and with such vile hate when one of their own was involved with actual bad acts? (i.e..... messing with kids, messing around on spouse, messing around with illegal money..... ) Now this fool (please... someone run against him!!!!)... is wasting valuable time to corner the senate in a vote on the "sense of the senate"... Hey Cornyn... here's some sense for ya'...... YA'LL SUCK!!!!!!!
.
TROOPS
HOME
NOW!
That will solve the rotation problem.
.
Okay, new bill: no vacation for Congress until the troops are AT LEAST back to parity.
Parity gets you two weeks a year away from DC...just like any other normal human.
Getting back to the nominal state (2 months home for each month in-country), THEN you can go back to your fucking 12 weeks off.
If their service means so much, then so does yours. Bitches.
Captain Kangaroo @ 35:
to break the filibuster. the filibuster is tantamount to defeating the bill.
.
END THE
OCCUPATION
OF IRAQ!
That will solve the troop rotation problem.
.
.
Legislating time off does nothing to solve the Iraq occupation.
.
.
Webb uses the cover of "support the troops" to engage in diologue that prolongs the war.
.
Andy K @ 70:
I say LET THEM FILIBUSTER. They can filibuster until the money runs out. Filibuster for a year-- go ahead. (Unless I don't understand the filibuster, but I think I do. Maybe there is something I'm unaware of??)
From Wiki: As a form of obstructionism in a legislature or other decision making body, a filibuster is an attempt to extend debate upon a proposal in order to delay or completely prevent a vote on its passage. The term first came into use in the United States Senate, where Senate rules permit a senator, or a series of senators, to speak for as long as they wish and on any topic they choose, unless a supermajority group of 60% of senators brings debate to a close by invoking cloture.
So let the bill run out. Isn't it an amendment for war funding? They'll have to make a new bill. Time is ticking and the money is running out. Bring bill after bill, if needed, until the pot runs dry-- because of the GOP.
Another example of how the democrats don't have a spine. They can get shit done and the best democratic candidate that the Media wants to throw at the Republican machine is Hillary Clinton. What a joke! Sorry people but if we put Hillary up in the primaries mark my words, "We are going to lose how we're losing now." Next year, guess what? those seats will be taken back by republicans because, again democrats can't get shit done.
Max-1 @ 81:
Then how(answer in plain text, please. We can all read. Once in bold was enough, twice was tiresome, the third time just plain obnoxious.)?
Let them filibuster. Put forward a full funding bill, along with the Webb Amendment. No mandated withdrawl. No redeployment. No additional oversight. Just last year's bill + Webb.
Make no other move to fund the war.
If the Repugs don't like it, then THEY'RE the ones denying the troops. Make no further comment. Simply present the bill and say it's shame that the president and the Republicans won't support the troops in a time of war.
Answer no other argument. Simply state and restate that the president and the Republicans are defunding the troops.
Bill O'Reilly asks you what the price of tea in China is? Tell him the President and the Republicans are defunding the troops.
March in lockstep.
Never waver.
Never make any other point.
No nuance.
No subtlety.
No voting for it before you vote against it.
The President and the Republicans are defunding the troops.
What do you want for dinner? I want the President and the Republicans to stop defunding the troops.
What time is it? It's time for the President and the Republicans to stop defunding the troops.
Over. And. Over. And. Over.
No matter what the Republicans killed it.
Well, if you thought Sherri Shepherd's "Is the world flat? I dunno." comment in the previous post would have to be the stupidest, most aggravating buffoonery you'd hear today, think again! Congratulations, Mel Martinez.
F**k em all...
bunch of plutocrats...
Ooooooo Boxer and Durbin are bitchslapping Cornyn. AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Calling bullshit and hypocricy!