General Casey confirmed as Army Chief of Staff. Democrats win?

[ck4829]

The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved Gen. George Casey, the outgoing commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, as the next Army chief of staff despite criticism of his performance as a war commander.

The Senate voted 83-14 to confirm Casey, who last week told senators he did not believe U.S. policy in Iraq had failed.

Casey's defenders, many of them Democrats who are critics of the Iraq war, said he could not be made a scapegoat for all that had gone wrong in the conflict.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070208/pl_nm/iraq_usa_general_dc

[Blue_In_AK]

1. From what I've read, the one really responsible for the mess

is Paul Bremer, who was rewarded with the Medal of Freedom. What an idiot!

[tabasco]

8. No, the neocons are responsible for this mess.

And the mess is entirely what they wanted. They have accomplished almost all of their goals. US-based oil companies control the Iraqi oil reserves and profiteering corporations are emptying our Treasury. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! The military is simply another victim of the criminal neocons, just like the rest of us.

[Blue_In_AK]

16. Bremer channeling the Neocons...

It was a horrible mistake to completely disenfranchise anyone with a Baathist connection, and also a horrible mistake to disband the military. From what I've read, these were Bremer's ideas. These two actions set the stage for the insurgency, IMO.

[babylonsister]

2. This is the same guy who said he didn't know there were equipment

shortages for the troops, per the Pentagon, earlier this week in his confirmation hearings; doesn't sound too competent to me.

[Kindigger]

3. Someone tell me

I was waiting for someone to start a thread on this. I believe Clinton, and McCain were two of the 14.
I didn't hear any of the debate, but am wondering about the Clinton vote? Hmmmmm

[joanski0]

4. Yes, Hillary voted No. So did Tom Harken.

It sounded to me like McCain was totally defending Bush* and saying that all that's gone wrong was General Casey's fault. McCain said, how many times did bush* say that he would do what the generals told him.

[capi888]

5. I heard Levin..after John McCain railed on Casy..

McCain blamed everything that went WRONG in Iraq, on CASEY not Bush or Rummy. Levin was royally pi**ed...and SAID>..the General on the ground is commanded by the DOD...and the PRESIDENT...he doesn't make the rules of engagement..the CIC does, with his DOD..CASEY admitted his mistakes...it seems to me, that had he used his best judgement without The DOD, he may not have made them. Also, we gave the medal of honor to (nameing all the losers that received them,) and to CASEY, we give him the boot...Levin, was angry !!! McCAIN was totally protecting the BushCo from blame, putting it on the Generals...

[Freddie Stubbs]

12. Here is the roll call:

YEAs ---83

Akaka (D-HI)
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bennett (R-UT)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Brownback (R-KS)
Burr (R-NC)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feingold (D-WI)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Inouye (D-HI)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCaskill (D-MO)
McConnell (R-KY)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Obama (D-IL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Stevens (R-AK)
Tester (D-MT)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Warner (R-VA)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---14

Bayh (D-IN)
Bond (R-MO)
Bunning (R-KY)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Coburn (R-OK)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Graham (R-SC)
Harkin (D-IA)
McCain (R-AZ)
Smith (R-OR)
Sununu (R-NH)

Not Voting - 3

Johnson (D-SD)
Martinez (R-FL)
Voinovich (R-OH)

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00045

[Skidmore]

6. Why did they pick this one to bare-knuckle on?

[joanski0]

9. I figured it was just so McCain could take all

the blame for Iraq off of Bush and put it all on Casey.

[spanone]

7. No one person COULD be held accountable, but it would be one hell of a start.

[California Griz]

10. I'm not at all happy about this

I listened to the conformation hearings and I can't understand why anybody voted for this guy. He's as delusional as Bush. It's not his past that bothers me most but his repeating the rhetoric about 85% of Iraq being stable and peaceful. It's misleading and they know it. We've given Bush more than enough rope to hang himself it's past time to start roping him in. I just don't understand what they are thinking by confirming this fraud.

[Freddie Stubbs]

13. Boxer voted yes, Clinton voted no

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00045

[dogday]

11. I thought we voted for change, not more of the

same old stuff... ridiculous....

[Freddie Stubbs]

14. Senator Clinton voted no:

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00045

[Kindigger]

15. I just figured

they all voted yes so nobody could pull the patriotism card, or say "you didn't give him a chance". That's why I still can't figure out what Clinton was thinking. :shrug:

[Freddie Stubbs]

17. Perhaps she is looking for ways to distinguish herself from the other candidates