Reid: The Senate Is on Record Against Escalation

[jefferson_dem]

:patriot:

Reid: The Senate Is on Record Against Escalation

Bipartisan majority votes against escalating the war in Iraq

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid released the following statement on today's vote in the United
States Senate in which a bipartisan majority voted against President Bush's
flawed plan to escalate the war.

"Today, a bipartisan majority of the United States Senate voted against
the President's flawed plan to escalate the war. The Senate joined the
House of Representatives, put itself on the record, and told the President
that America needs a new direction in Iraq. As for the Republicans who
chose once again to block further debate and protect President Bush, the
American people now know they support the escalation.

"Today's vote against the escalation is not the end of this Iraq debate
in the Senate. This war is too important to permit Senate Republicans to
brush it aside. The Bush Administration's failures have put our troops and
America in a deep hole, and it is time for this country and this Congress
to climb out. The Republican Leadership can run from this debate, but they
can't hide. The Senate will keep fighting to force President Bush to change
course."

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/02-17-2007/0004529756&EDATE=

[patrice]

1. Now I'm confused . . . . . .?????????

Today they voted for cloture and succeeded.

Now they will go ahead and vote on the resolution.

This story reads as though they've already voted on the resolution. Is that so?

[jefferson_dem]

2. No, they did not vote directly on the resolution opposing the escalation.

Reid rightly infers that Sens voting for cloture would have also voted for the resolution. True.

[patrice]

4. He definitely knows more about their votes than I do.

I don't see that as a necessary conclusion.

The Republicans could just want the vote now, because they think they'll win. I'm hoping they'll lose, but I'll believe it when I see it.

[Bolo Boffin]

5. They didn't get cloture

The Republicans (and Lieberman!) successfully filibustered the proposal from coming to a vote.

It was a squeaker, though. Several Republicans voted for cloture, and ten senators were unable or did not vote (the lone non-voting Democratic senator was Tim Johnson, of course).

Reid is right to spin it this way.

[patrice]

7. Okay, so Reid is saying voting to continue debate in a filibuster

supports the resolution, from which I might infer that we would loose the vote were it to be held now?

On edit: Although . . . Republicans voting against voting on the resolution ALSO means they don't think they can win either!!!

So Reid is right to be positive.

Every Democrat worthy of calling him/her-self a Democrat needs to be an activist this week!

[cui bono]

11. I think what he's saying is that athough they didn't have the 60 votes

for cloture, they had 56 votes which is a majority. Therefore the majority feels we should change course since they would most likely have voted for the resolution. So majority supports the resolution.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

20. Wow, where'd you get the Iraq to Iran graphic? Very, very clever.

[Old and In the Way]

3. Whatever happened to that "upordownvote" the Republicans love so much?

Reid should bring this up every 2 weeks....keep making the Republicans vote against voting on the resolution. Bunch of cowards.

[tblue]

8. We've always been at war with East Asia.

[patrice]

9. ergo . . . ?

That is acceptable?
Nothing else is possible?
Shit happens, so shit should happen? Shit is good? Only shit is desirable?
What?

[tblue]

10. Oh no. I mean, they recreate history and mold it to their needs. There is no past. They never said

what they said. There's only what they say today. It's insane and, no, it's not acceptable. Did you read 1984?

[patrice]

13. Got it . . . Yeah, that's what I was wondering: Have we?

You know I've heard stuff like that ever since I was 16 and had to debate the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the National Forensics League. There are always these people who say "This is inevitable, so we can do nothing but _________."

They don't understand self-fulfilling prophecy. I think they are shallow, externally oriented people, reactionaries, who reject their effects on the world, and refuse how they shape what happens. Of course, they would also be, as John Dean says, authoritarians. Funny how completely opposite all of that seems compared to what I thought was the Republican ideal: the smart, perceptive, proactive, responsible, creative citizen.

[tblue]

15. You really thought the smart, perceptive, proactive, responsible, creative citizen

was the Republic party ideal? The party faithful may think they and their leaders are all that. But those in Washington hope their voters are just the opposite: uninformed, afraid, and stagnant.

[patrice]

16. Well, that's what they say anyway.

I work hard to maintain my balance between polarities of anykind. Nonetheless, Democrats, for all of their very real faults, ARE better human specimens than Republicans.

[tritsofme]

6. Kind of a strange statement

Cloture failed, the Senate didn't go on the record for anything.

[rodeodance]

12. oh Harry you are a clever little one. Sure to tic of the Repugs!

[Ellipsis]

14. Have to agree... it's well played. hee-hee. nt

[ShortnFiery]

17. OK Harry Reid, now get your wife out of Lobbying and also cut the CORRUPTION!

:grr: We need a new Majority Leader in the Senate NOW!

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

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[TheVirginian]

19. It was NOT a cloture vote

The vote was on a motion to proceed, which would have started debate. Such a motion requires a 3/5ths vote to pass. Then the debate occurs, and it takes another 3/5ths vote to end debate and actually vote on the resolution.

Its actually technically not a filibuster.