Saturday, February 17, 2007

Bulletin: Reid Fails Again to Cut Off Debate On Surge

Reid's attempt to invoke cloture failed, but a few more "white flag" GOP Senators voted with him.

McCain was not voting. If he wants to do something to get the base excited, he might consider being out in front leading a Senate charge in favor of the troops and the surge he advocated. He could make a lot of "good pub" in that endeavor.

In Iraq, Petraeus need a few good battles, and some diplomatic coups to keep these birds off balance.

UPDATE:

Here is the NYT headline on this development:

Senate Rejects Renewed Effort to Debate Iraq

NB: My headline is accurate, the NYT's is not. This is not debatable or capable of nuanced discussion. The NYT headline is simply misleading. In lefty terms, it is a "lie". Yellow Journalism, say I.

5 comments:

chuck said...

I also noticed that Hastert was missing from the House vote yesterday. What is it with these guys? Don't they have any sense of what we expect from them in these serious times?

2008, the next surge. Mark your calenders.

Rick Ballard said...

Coleman
Hagel
Warner
Collins
Snowe
Specter
Smith

I'd say Coleman, Warner and maybe Hagel will face tough primaries.

McCain is no leader, Vnjagvet. He is neither respected nor admired within the Senate. He has never been elected to any leadership position within the caucus nor was he ever entrusted with running the NRSC. He must need some oil for his weathervane at the moment.

vnjagvet said...

I am inclined to agree with you Rick. I have not seen much from him but criticism and sniping.

If he wants to be President, he would be well advised to attempt to take on the mantle of leadership in the Senate.

And leadership means keeping the Senate off the backs of the troops, and building a coalition of support.

But that takes hard work and the spectre of failure.

IMO, that is the only way he can earn respect from those of us who want a strong, implacable and diabolically clever wartime leader as President until the al-quaeda-jihadi threat has been overcome.


Although GWB falls somewhat short of the ideal, he has been far better than any of the alternatives served up to the US electorate.

Unknown said...

There were nine Republicans who were not there, I think. It seems to me that they thought to themselves if Reid does not have 60, I don't need to vote. But they should have voted anyway. McCain was off campaigning. He should have voted.

Unknown said...

vnjagvet:

Ain't that the truth. For all his faults, Bush has balls.