Reid to support Iraq funding bill.
Reid to support Iraq funding bill.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has announced he will vote to support the Iraq spending bill despite its lack of timetable.
How to vote on the bill before us is a very difficult and personal decision for each member of this body. There are many thoughtful members of my caucus who believe we should vote “NO” — and continue to vote “NO” — until the President and his supporters come to their senses.
There are equally thoughtful members who believe we must vote “YES” because this bill does take a step forward in holding the President and the Iraqis accountable and that it does increase pressure on this Administration and its supporters to change direction in Iraq.
Although this is a very close call for me as I suspect it is for many Senators, I have decided to support this measure.
Read his full statement:
REID: DEMOCRATS WILL CONTINUE FIGHT TO CHANGE COURSE IN IRAQ
WASHINGTON, D.C.–Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the following remarks today on the floor of the U.S. Senate prior to voting in support of the FY2007 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill:
More than four years ago the Bush Administration took this nation to war in Iraq without sufficient troops, without a plan to win the peace, and without truth regarding Saddam Hussein’s non-existent weapons of mass destruction or his non-existent links to Al Qaeda.
Nearly 51 months later — 6 months longer than it took this nation to defeat Germany and Japan in World War II — the violence in Iraq continues and the cost to our military and our nation has been frightening. More than 3400 American troops have made the ultimate sacrifice — death. Nine were killed yesterday and two more today in the escalating violence across Iraq. Guard and Reserve units all across America lack equipment to do their jobs in Iraq or here at home. U.S. citizens have provided nearly half a trillion dollars to cover the cost of this civil war. And because of this war, our nation has been totally distracted in its efforts to defeat those who attacked us on 9/11. Indeed, more than five years after 9/11, Osama bin Laden is still free and Al Qaeda remains a potent force.
Throughout all of this, our military has performed heroically. Our troops have done everything asked of them, and more. Our troops toppled a dictator and gave the Iraqis a chance to establish a new government and a new way of life. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration did not provide them a strategy that matched their sacrifice. Iraq is now in a state of civil war, with no end in sight, and our valiant troops are caught in the middle.
Instead of accepting this reality, President Bush stubbornly refuses to change course. Instead of listening to his military commanders who say there is no military solution in Iraq, he has plunged our forces further into sectarian infighting. Instead of accepting a bipartisan path in Iraq offered by the Congress and even the Iraq Study Group, the President stubbornly clings to his failed “my way or the highway” approach to governing America.
Major General John Batiste, who commanded the First Infantry Division in Iraq says this about the President’s failed Iraq policy: “Here is the bottom line: Americans must come to grips with the fact that our military alone cannot establish a democracy… We cannot sustain the current operational tempo without seriously damaging the Army and Marine Corps…our troops have been asked to carry the burden of an ill-conceived mission.”
Earlier this year, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said the problems in Iraq are more complex than Vietnam, and military victory is no longer possible.
General George Casey, formerly commander of U.S. forces in Iraq and currently Chief of Staff of the Army, said, “It’s always been my view that a heavy and sustained American military presence was not going to solve the problems in Iraq…”
Six months ago the Iraq Study Group said the situation in Iraq was “grave and deteriorating.” The civil war in Iraq has only gotten more pronounced since then. And unfortunately, the President’s escalation strategy has not produced the positive results we seek:
* Attacks on U.S. forces have increased, not decreased. Since the onset of this latest surge, more than three U.S. soldiers have been killed every day. Nearly 90 soldiers have been killed this month alone; almost 400 since the escalation plan began.
* Sectarian killings have increased back to pre-surge levels. According to today’s Washington Post, over 300 unidentified corpses, many dumped and showing signs of torture and execution, were found across the Iraqi capital in the month of May.
* Four million Iraqis, including 1.6 million children, have fled their homes because of the violence, setting the stage for a massive humanitarian crisis.
* Our military has been pushed to the breaking point. To make up for shortages of combat ready forces, tours of duty have been extended recently from 12 to 15 months, with many soldiers now on their third and fourth tours. I spoke with one Nevada family whose son was killed in action last week. This soldier had survived four vehicle explosions during his four tours of duty. That’s too much to ask of any soldier and his family. Perhaps not surprisingly after all of this, the soldier had expressed reservations about the war in Iraq. The grandfather said, “It’s a waste of young lives. We should not be in the middle of a civil war.”
* Meanwhile, our capacity to respond to other challenges around the world has been greatly constrained. Terror attacks across the world are up not down. U.S. influence and standing are down not up. And by focusing on Iraq and doing little or nothing in the rest of the Middle East, this critical region has been destabilized even further and stands even closer to a broader regional war.
The American people saw all of this unfolding last November and they reached a conclusion that enough was enough. That is why they sent this President and the Congress a clear and unmistakable message: find a responsible end to this war.
And that is what congressional Democrats have done. From the very first day of this Democratically-controlled Congress, we made it clear to the President that the days of blank checks and green lights for his failed policy are over. After six years of rubberstamping President Bush’s failed policies, Congress has reasserted its rightful position in our constitutional form of government.
Democrats have held more hearings on Iraq in four months than the Republican-controlled Congress held in four years. We have repeatedly forced our Republican colleagues to debate and vote on where they stand with respect to the President’s failed Iraq policy. And with each step we have taken, the pressure on the President and his Republican allies to change course has grown.
The most important step we have taken to date occurred last month. In the face of heavy White House pressure and more misleading statements by Administration officials, Congress was able to pass a bill that did what the American people asked us to do: (1) fully fund our troops, and (2) immediately change the direction of the war in Iraq.
In addition, the bill provided much needed funds to procure additional equipment for our Guard and Reserve and to provide health care services for our active duty troops and heroic veterans.
I am very proud of the Senate Democratic caucus. In less than four months of Democratic control and with virtual Democratic unanimity, the Congress sent the President binding language that would truly compel him to do what the American people desire.
Unfortunately, the President vetoed that important legislation, leaving him further isolated from the American people, military experts and an increasing number of his own political party.
In the days since that veto, we have had negotiations with the Administration about how to proceed. The President made it clear he intended to veto any effort to implement timelines, transition the mission, or ensure the readiness of our troops before they are deployed. Furthermore, here in the Senate, our minority colleagues made it clear that they are determined to place procedural hurdles — most notably requiring 60 votes rather than a simple majority — in front of those who seek to significantly alter the President’s Iraq policy. Democratic unanimity with a handful of Republicans will not be sufficient to do what we believe must be done.
Until more Republicans develop the courage to step forward and insist that the President change course in Iraq, Republican intransigence has left us with no good options.
How to vote on the bill before us is a very difficult and personal decision for each member of this body. There are many thoughtful members of my caucus who believe we should vote “NO” — and continue to vote “NO” — until the President and his supporters come to their senses.
There are equally thoughtful members who believe we must vote “YES” because this bill does take a step forward in holding the President and the Iraqis accountable and that it does increase pressure on this Administration and its supporters to change direction in Iraq.
Although this is a very close call for me as I suspect it is for many Senators, I have decided to support this measure. But let me say: I know that those who oppose this bill care just as deeply about the safety of our troops as I do.
And they know I care just as deeply about changing the course in Iraq as they do.
This bill before us clearly does not go as far as a bipartisan majority of Congress would like but it goes a lot further than the President and his supporters were willing to go earlier this month. That is why we saw this headline in a recent edition of the Los Angeles Times: “Senate tilting on Iraq policy; Republicans show their strongest willingness yet to rein in Bush…”
Here’s what the bill requires of the Administration and the Iraqis:
* Establishes 18 benchmarks on which to measure the Iraqi government’s performance;
* Restricts use of foreign aid to the Iraqi government should they fail to make meaningful progress;
* Requires the President to certify that the Iraqi government deserves these funds even if they fail to perform as promised;
* Requires the Administration to testify before Congress and an independent assessment by the General Accounting Office on the performance of the Iraqi government;
* Requires the President to submit a report on the combat proficiency of Iraqi security forces;
* Requires the President to redeploy our troops if the Iraqi government concludes our presence is no longer desired;
* Restricts use of Defense Department funding until Congress receives information about contractors in Iraq; and
* States official U.S. policy precludes no permanent military bases in Iraq, no torture of detainees, and no designs on Iraqi oil.
Some of this language was taken from an amendment offered by Senator Warner last week. Senator Warner offered his amendment as an alternative to the Feingold-Reid amendment that would have immediately transitioned the mission in Iraq and required a phased redeployment to be completed by April 2008. Naturally I said the Feingold-Reid language was far superior to the Warner language. However, today we don’t have the option of choosing between Feingold-Reid and Warner. Although the Warner language is weak by comparison to the Feingold-Reid language and I so stated on the Senate floor, I believe we can begin holding the Administration accountable if we adopt the Warner language plus the other Iraq-related provisions contained in this bill.
I know none of these measures come close to the timelines and accountability provisions I supported in the vetoed bill. However, I also know that these provisions will force the Administration to do more than they have ever done before.
I also know that the stakes are too high and our obligation to the troops and the country are too great for us to stop working to force the President and his supporters to change course.
The burden for securing and governing Iraq must now rest with the Iraqi people. As General Abizaid said, “It is easy for the Iraqis to rely upon us to do this work. I believe that more American forces prevent the Iraqis from doing more, from taking more responsibility for their own future.” And General Doug Lute, recently nominated by President Bush to be his “war czar,” said, “we believe at some point, in order to break this dependence on the coalition, you simply have to back off and let the Iraqis step forward.”
As long as I am leader and this President persists in pursuing the worst foreign policy blunder in this nation’s history, the American people should know that I am determined to fight for change in Iraq.
The Senate Armed Services Committee reported out the FY2008 Defense Authorization bill earlier today. We will move to it in our next work period which starts in 10 days. This battle for a responsible and effective Iraq policy will be rejoined in the Senate no later than when we take up that bill. Senate Democrats will not stop our efforts to change the course of this war until either enough Republicans join with us to reject President Bush’s failed policy or we get a new President.
In 1941 at an address to the Harrow School, Winston Churchill said, “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never….”
My colleagues here in the Senate, particularly my Republican colleagues, should know that this is precisely my attitude when it comes to bringing about a change of course in Iraq. Although I did not get everything I sought in the bill before us, I will not give up until the supporters of the President’s failed policy accept the realities on the ground in Iraq. They accept that the President’s plan is not working, that this war must come to an end and that it is time to for our troops to come home in a safe and responsible way.
Paraphrasing the words of Winston Churchill, when it comes to forcing the President to change course in Iraq, Senate Democrats will never give in, never give in, never, never, never.
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Harry Reid tried on one of Trudi Giuliani’s dresses today.
And it fits!!
May 24th, 2007 at 8:42 pmI would like for someone to explain just how a bill that has no timetables and no benchmarks holds anyone accountable for anything.
It’s a lie, Harry. You’re lying.
May 24th, 2007 at 8:44 pmBoth of the Senator’s reasons for supporting the bill are bogus on their face: no, there will be no accountability, and no, you are not putting pressure on the president.
May 24th, 2007 at 8:45 pmNo timelines. No deadlines.
It looks like the Iraqi Parliament has more power than the Dems do now.
And like Chimpy, they’re on vacation.
Please let me off this crazy train.
May 24th, 2007 at 8:45 pmFU Harry!
May 24th, 2007 at 8:51 pmHarry Houdini Reid: tie yourself up in knots with bold statements like you’re against the war and then, presto, escape and vote for the war. It’s AMAZING, how on earth does he do it??
May 24th, 2007 at 8:51 pmFinally…….senators coming to their senses. Where did that voter mandate go? Truth is, there never was one. Americans want to succeed.
May 24th, 2007 at 8:51 pmC-O-W-A-R-D
Failure enabler easily replaced.
May 24th, 2007 at 8:51 pmI hope every democrat who votes for this gets beat in their next primary. It’s time to bring in a whole new group of dems that actually work for their constituients. Chimpy and Shooter have not been held accountable for the past 6+ years. These guys are no better than the repugs in the previous congress and senate who gave a FU&*ing idiot carte blanche in destroying America as we know it. This is another very sad moment in our history.
May 24th, 2007 at 8:55 pmLet him have it and don’t hold back.
Harry Reid: 1-202-224-3542
P.S. Reid also voted for the Bankruptcy Bill in 2005. That was a litmus test for Democrats and he failed. And he failed again today. Is he really the leader of the “Opposition” party? Please tell me its not true!
May 24th, 2007 at 8:55 pm#7 succeed my ass…you’re an idiot.
May 24th, 2007 at 8:56 pmSenator Reid — You couldn’t have possibly have made a statement such as “…this bill does take a step forward in holding the President and the Iraqis accountable and that it does increase pressure on this Administration and its supporters to change direction in Iraq” with a straight face? You and those Democrats who follow your lead will only achieve the exact opposite — reducing pressure on the Administration by demonstrating that his failed occupation of Iraq now has bi-partisan support. You and those who agree with you now also have the same blood on your hands. And when the elections arrive in 2008, count on Republican candidates to trumpet the fact that their opponent either 1) have no standing since they have continued to support the occupation, or 2) were for the occupation before they were against it. By doing so, you will join those cowardly politicians who continued to support the Vietnam Conflict for many years after it became widely known that it was a lost cause. You and your supporters now share in the shame that had primarily been the province of W and the Republican Party. I can only hope that you might eventually demonstrate that you are capable of representing the will of the people rather than the wishes of Big Oil and the Military-Industrial Complex.
May 24th, 2007 at 8:57 pmit’s the world’s most select club, very collegial group and evidently united in their bloodlust, but of course done in very gentlemenly and gentlewomanly fashion – btw did Johhny McCain pop in to vote, God knows he has bloodlust in his heart
May 24th, 2007 at 8:58 pmWell that settle it, I’m done with the dem’s and all incumbent’s as of now..I have spent 45 wasted year’s on them..Game set match, they have bush’s killing game, they are set to invade Iran and now they all match bush/ chaney and this evil administration in killing, supporting and enabeling the total distruction of a once great country…
May 24th, 2007 at 8:58 pmLooks like the Democrats finally decided to care about the working poor.
After 5 months, they finally got their minimum wage bill passed!
May 24th, 2007 at 8:59 pmThe Democrats just bought themselves a war/occupation.
We can no longer call this Bush’s War. It’s the Democrats War now too.
May 24th, 2007 at 8:59 pmHow EXACTLY does it hold the president accountable?
May 24th, 2007 at 9:00 pmGrevious miscalculation on the side of all fools who just enabled failure. They grossly mijudged the American people who know the Terror lie is a house of cards.
2% of bodies in Iraq are foreign fighters. We protect the Sunni from Ahnialation from the Shia majority and the Sunni kill us. We prop up and empower the Shia and their militia kill us. All on 2 BILLION a week on borrowed money with no military solution.
Now how is that worthy of support/
May 24th, 2007 at 9:01 pmHoyer is a Stenysaurus.
He’s a DINO.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:03 pmToday, May 24 2007 America is officially a Fascist Country.
70% of the Citizens wanted an end to the Iraq occupation.
Big Oil and the Military Industrial Complex wanted it to continue.
The Government aligned itself with Big Oil and the Military Industrial Complex ignoring the will of the people.
It is now impossible to separate Government from Big Oil and the Military Industrial Complex, they are one and the same.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:05 pmDid the Dems just buy this war?
Jeez, way to go, dumbasses.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:08 pmLet it never be said about Reid that the phrase “Give ‘em hell, Harry” would ever apply to him. He has obviously been taking his cues from the Repugs in mislabeling of his decision as a measure that increases pressure on W and his worshippers. Statements such as this belong in the same dung pile as slogans such as “No Child Left Behind”, “Help America Vote Act” and/or “Clear Skies Initiative.” So, when can we expect him to jump on the bandwagon to mandate that creationism replace evolution in our nation’s public school curricula, along with severe penalties inflicted upon anyone who might publicly (or with technological advances now used by Homeland Security, perhaps privately as well) question the existence of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:08 pmDamn it Larry.
Why do you have to be right.
I was hoping we could put off the police state until next year when Chimpy declares martial law.
Looks like the sh*t may hit the fan sooner than expected.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:12 pmThe Republican Party was on the verge of a collapse that could’ve lasted for 50 years.
The Democrats just helped the Republicans by agreeing to share some of the blame with them.
Now John Q. Citizen will see no difference between the two parties. The Democrats just erased six years of self-destructive Republican crimes with one vote.
Republicans are high-fiving each other tonight.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:16 pm#20 — Sadly, I agree completely, however the problem is even worse. Haven’t there been polls indicating that the majority of the Iraqi people want the United States to begin withdrawing its troops, and recently, 144 (more than half) of the 275 members of the Iraqi parliament supported a resolution for the United States to begin withdrawal. So, the popular will of the Iraqi people, the Iraqi parliament, almost every other country in the world (with the probable exceptions of Saudia Arabia and Israel), and the American people no longer count. Perhaps this country has been changed from the USA to the UCA (United Corporations of America). Books such as “They Thought They Were Free” reveal in chilling detail how a very similar process occurred on Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:16 pmFact: The majority of those not satisfied with the way the war is being handled want it to succeed. They are not anti-war nutcases like some who post here, but want it to be completed successfully. 70% of the citizens want an end to Iraq occupation with success as the end result – not cut and run. Oil didn’t buy the votes, the people showed their support for the troops and their willingness to see it succeed. You conspiracists just don’t get it. This isn’t the Tri-lateral Commission. You can’t see past your own extreme viewpoint and you honestly thought you had a mandate for ending the war when it is so obvious that people want it to end – but with success – not failure.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:18 pm#23…In this case I do not like being right.
Government and Big Business have joined as one. The people no longer matter. This is Fascism. It is no longer disputable. I’m just stating the obvious.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:18 pmYup, this is definitely a Repuke “victory”.
Too bad our kids in Iraq aren’t going to share it.
They just got their tours bumped to 15 months.
And 18 month tours are down the road.
Our troops were promised a year off between tours.
Chimpy has already broken that promise.
He sent a unit back after only 9 months.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:20 pmYesterday Dennis Kucinich spent an HOUR on the House floor presenting overhwhelming evidence that Bush will not leave Iraq until they pass the Hydrocarbon law.
This is the only BENCHMARK Bush truly wants to achieve.
The Hydrocarbon law will give 70% of the profits from Iraq’s untapped oil to Exxon, BP Chevron etc. The estimate is $220 TRILLION in untapped oil in the Iraq ground. 70% of that is approx. $180 TRILLION.
Bush threatened Iraq by telling them that we will not deliver billions in reconstruction aid UNLESS Iraq agrees to the Hydrocarbon law. In my world this is called a EXTORTION. This is outrageous considering we knocked down most of the buildings that need to be reconstructed.
Thank GOD for Dennis Kucinich, a man with a spine and a conscience. Dennis is LEADING while Hillary and Barack are whimpering.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:25 pmI heard this morning that some Dems are blaming Loserman.
Apparently the story goes that Loserman talked to Reid and said he would jump ship to the Repukes if the Dems didn’t support the war.
If Loserman caucused with the Repukes, it would give them 50 votes and Cheney for a tiebreaker.
I say, so what. Kick Loserman out of the Democratic caucus and lose the Senate. The Dems will still have the House and can still hold hearings. Let the Subpoenas…BEGIN!
May 24th, 2007 at 9:27 pmTYVM for the Hydrocarbon Law update.
That is what is driving this war, selling off Iraqi oil.
The Iraqis should go ahead and pass the thing, just to get us out.
They can always vote to nationalize it, once our troops have left.
The US deserves NONE of that oil. We owe Iraq big time.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:29 pmAnd while this historic vote took place the entire country was hypnotized by the finale of American Idol.
I guess we got the government we deserve. Few care. And fewer understand.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:32 pm#26 You’re still an idiot. There is no conspiracy…Chimpy has screwed up every single critical issue he has had before him. That is the FACT. Another FACT…this isn’t our war…no matter how much you leghumpers want to compare it to WWII…it’s a civil war between the Sunni and Shia. Our troops are there trying to play referee and both sides want to kill them. That’s the facts of it. Apparently you just listened to Faux Noise and got the latest talking points. No matter how many times you say it: Iraq did not attack us on 9/11/01 and there were no Al Queda in Iraq before we went in. Those are the facts Eric…pull your head out.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:34 pmTo follow the “oil news” and “impeachment news” these two websites should be on your list:
oilwatchdog dot org
May 24th, 2007 at 9:35 pmafterdowningstreet dot org
Communities tend to be guided less than individuals by conscience and a sense of responsibility. How much misery does this fact cause mankind! It is the source of wars and every kind of oppression, which fill the earth with pain, sighs and bitterness.

-Albert Einstein, 1934
May 24th, 2007 at 9:37 pmI will not support any VichyCrats.
Reid is our own Marshal Petain.
A leader is supposed to lead-Reid Caved. End of story.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:41 pmF*ckin’ COWARD!!!
Pardon my expression…I am sickened by this! Just sickened…
May 24th, 2007 at 9:43 pmI changed parties today. The democrats can go F*ck themselves.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:48 pmEric,
Why don’t you go debate this over on redstate.com? Oh, that’s right. They don’t allow debate on their site. You have to come to a LIBERAL web site to actually have a debate. Eric the great conservative is reduced to hanging out on a LIBERAL web site to make his points!! LOL!!
Eric on TP – Proof that Think Progress is the most open forum for discussing the events of the world today!!
BTW, it would help the situation if you could talk to your rethug friends (if you have any) and find some people to present your case better. You really do a poor job of it. I have asked you repeatedly to explain how Saddam Hussein represented a threat to the US that warranted a HALF TRILLION DOLLAR response. We’re still waiting. Why is it the only thing Bush and Cheney care about is getting the Iraqi Oil Law signed? The one law that would put BILLIONS into the pockets of the oil companies.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:51 pmLooks like the Democrats finally decided to care about the working poor.
After 5 months, they finally got their minimum wage bill passed!
Comment by m12 — May 24, 2007 @ 8:59 pm
Project much? Oh wait, the Republicans have *never* cared about the working poor – or the poor at all for that matter. I’ll say to you, what I say to Valiant Ben Laden – because you deserve it, you hateful b*tch. You are one st*pid little c*nt.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:51 pmI guess we got the government we deserve. Few care. And fewer understand. Comment by Larry from C — May 24, 2007 @ 9:32 pm
The majority of Americans do care – as the polling shows. Stop being such a fatalistic little idiot – you sound like a republican – or one of those green party fools.
The reality is, that the Dems are unwilling to let the soldiers starve and die in Iraq from lack of equipment – Bush however was willing. Reid is doing the responsible thing to our soldiers, and while I might not disagree with him, I can certainly understand it.
What the bill does, is start applying pressure, and it gives Republican congressmen the “one more try please” they’ve asked for. Bush got his way, it’s still his war, but now there are measures and metrics that are required to be presented to Congress on the progress.
I’m not happy either, but to throw in the towel because you don’t get your way on every vote is *childish*, and exactly the sort of *whiny* that Valiant Ben Laden claims liberals represent. Which is why to me, you sound more like her with this post, than liberals I know. What’s your deal? Why so *fringe* with your response.
Reid clearly stated he knew what the American people wanted, and this was just one step in getting there. Get over it, that’s the way the *real* world works. You don’t get overnight magic in government, you generally get slow plodding progress to a goal. That’s how *democracy* works. If however you want instant success, perhaps you’d prefer a wingnut Totalitarian government with a Dictator? Paduan?
May 24th, 2007 at 9:57 pmGood summary Patrick. We really need to get the hell out.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:58 pmWhy did you put such faith in a man who I suspect doesn’t know who his father is, because he has admitted that his mother worked in over a dozen whore houses?
I am stunned that Harry “Who’s my daddy?” Reid actually voted for this bill. Can you ever trust a man who looks more suited to a flower print dress and attending a quilting bee, than leader of the Senate?
TOTAL capitulation to reality – the French failed to compete in the world by merely wielding an indignant sneer, and so will webloggers.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:05 pmThe Democrats took 5 months to pass a minimum wage bill.
The Repukes had not passed one in 12 years.
Go back under your bridge, m12. You’re a troll.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:10 pmThis isn’t about the Repukes winning or the Dems losing.
This is about more of our kids getting killed in Iraq. For nothing.
We need to get the hell out of Iraq. Now.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:11 pm#43 Eat shit. There are only a few of us on here who can dog Harry and the dems out, and you aint one of them. Capitulate that.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:13 pmThe only reality in Iraq is more of our kids getting killed for nothing.
Anybody who still supports this screwup is insane.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:14 pmVVGFU, I can understand your sentiment. I really want to go with it. However, I feel like Charlie Brown and Lucy is promising me that next time I really will be able to kick the ball. Somehow, the trust I had in this party for the last 25 years is waning. I really want to see some concrete action taken against this administration. I am just not getting the impression they are up to the task.
Anyway, let’s all try not to get too bent out of shape over this. The reality is that this happened and there’s not much we can do but see what happens over the next few months. Heck, I’m threatening to go Green but there’s not even an election coming up anytime soon. :)
May 24th, 2007 at 10:16 pm“Why did you put such faith in a man who I suspect doesn’t know who his father is, because he has admitted that his mother worked in over a dozen whore houses?”
Yeah, Hendler. I am certainly not defending traitor Reid but what the he!! does that have to do with this? I am pretty sure you are lying out of your a$$, as usual but I don’t really care. Republicans can tell us who their daddies are and yet they are all…every single one of them…whores.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:25 pmWell to all you progressives in Nevada. It’s time to find someone to run against Reid in 2008. We need to vote out every Senator and every Congressperson (either Republic or Democrat) who voted to continue this massacre.
Apparently they didn’t get the message by the election in 2006. So, let’s give them the message now.
God I wish that Feingold and the other 14 would leave the Democratic party and start a new Progressive party. I would be one of the first to sign up and work like hell to get them elected.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:18 amDosen’t Harry Reid take his orders from the Morman Elders like Mitt Romney?
May 25th, 2007 at 2:19 amIt’s really sad how easy is for the USA start an illegal war, and how reluctant is to stop it.
May 25th, 2007 at 8:42 amHarry’s republican lite but still republican. And so are all the other sell out democrats including the other reed from the blueist of the blue states. War is a right of the male species.
May 25th, 2007 at 9:52 amSold Out!
#49, JPark,
Look it up – Harry Reid has admitted that his mother worked in over a dozen whore houses. THAT is a FACT.
May 25th, 2007 at 10:00 amThanks for NOTHING Harry…you screwed us without a kiss…again…Why dont you go get a cushy job working for Haliburton? Oh…you already are! Silly me.
May 25th, 2007 at 10:20 am“How to vote on the bill before us is a very difficult and personal decision for each member of this body”
“Although this is a very close call for me as I suspect it is for many Senators, I have decided to support this measure.”
No. It’s not YOUR decision. It’s the AMERICAN PEOPLE’S decision, and we already decided. You fail.
May 25th, 2007 at 10:42 amProject much? Oh wait, the Republicans have *never* cared about the working poor – or the poor at all for that matter. I’ll say to you, what I say to Valiant Ben Laden – because you deserve it, you hateful b*tch. You are one st*pid little c*nt.
Even if you accept the proposition that one has to support the minimum wage to help the working poor:
If they cared so much, what took them so long to pass it, and why did they have to pork it up to get it passed?
May 25th, 2007 at 1:21 pmSORRY, HARRY, YOU BLEW IT. THE ONE LAST CHANCE WAS THERE, AND YOU BLEW IT. I CONSIDER WHAT YOU AND MANY OF YOUR COLLEAGUES DID TO BE THE MOST SPINELESS AND GUTLESS PERFORMANCE OF ANY MAJORITY PARTY LEADERS I HAVE EVER WITNESSED IN MY 68 YEARS.
Doesn’t anyone get it, the damage is done. What the hell does anyone expect will happen in four months, in September? Bush and his cronies will lie again, they will want it all over again, they will give up NOTHING, and all the good little republicans will fall in line as they always do.
Are our democratic leaders, like Pelosi and Reid, so frigging naive and dumb to think they will do better NEXT TIME? And, how many Americans will die in those four months? HOW MANY?
The time was NOW for action. We wont get the chance again. We have given them four months to cook their books, once again, to round their troops and to circle the wagons again….THIS WAS THE TIME, AND THE SPINELESS AND GUTLESS DEMS BLEW IT….
Senator Reid, YOU WERE WRONG, YOU BLEW IT, I CANT BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE AS NAIVE AS YOU HAVE TURNED OUT TO BE. YOU MAKE ME ASHAMED TO BE A DEMOCRAT.
A 68 year old Vet now living in Phoenix
And one that will NEVER give any democrat that voted for this bill my vote, ever again, and I will work to see that others, in other states, are unseated, and replaced with those democrats, of independents, that will do the will of the people, PERIOD, NO EXCUSES.
May 25th, 2007 at 4:50 pmHarry, I sympathize with you since politics is the art of the possible and it takes time to turn the ship of state.
As for the left wing critics of Harry here, I suggest they surf on over to Harry’s blog (giveemhellharry.com) and see the fire he is continually under from the other side.
On the positive side, the right wing is and will be giving up a lot to keep their war going. Every few months it will get harder and harder for them to do so. Eventually, they will no longer be able to do so. If they keep it up until 2008, the election will turn on that issue. The big picture is prying power out of the hands of those who got us into this war and keeping their hands off the levers of power for a long time.
I don’t like this war either, but patient work will bring this country around faster than you may think. This vote was a temporary compromise, but a future vote will be different. It is only a question of time, and not so much time at that.
May 25th, 2007 at 5:00 pmSorry, I have to disagree with you. Patience will get us no where. There is only one way to defeat the blockade being put up by the right wingers, and that is to get tough, show some spine, show some guts, and stand up for what you believe.
What Harry, and the others did yesterday was to guarantee the republicans a clean sweep in 08.
What they did yesterday can, and never will, be rectified.
They gave Bush and his cronies, and the rest of the fascist type pigs in the white house just what they need, 4 months to re organize and come out swinging.
I was part of the millions that voted in 2006 to give the Dems the majority, only to see them become the first majority top be ruled by the minority.
Only the spineless could allow that to happen.
May 25th, 2007 at 5:16 pmI respectfully disagree. I, too, voted with the majority in 2006. Our constition is not a parliamentary system, but one that uniquely divides power. The matter at hand is not a question of courage, but of carefully building a consensus that will endure and that has fifty to sixty votes in the Senate and a majority in the House. I sympathize with commenter 41 above. We will win this incrementally if we work together for the next vote, and there will be a next vote because this was only a short-term bill. If it makes you feel better, you can kick Harry today, but we need almost all the Democrats in the Senate and some Republicans to govern in an enduring and effective manner. Harry can do this if you give him some time to build a consensus.
May 25th, 2007 at 5:48 pmSorry, but your words…
but we need almost all the Democrats in the Senate and some Republicans to govern in an enduring and effective manner. Harry can do this if you give him some time to build a consensus.
Are a very naive outlook. It can never happen. What the best to do in the current situaltion was to stand strong, even in the face of a veto, and give the President the bill to sign WITH timetables of one sort or another.
They opted to do the spineless thing, and the republicans in the white house, and the neo con talking heads are joyously celebrating. And, they know, now, that they cant be beaten even when they are the minority in congress.
Yesterday will go down in history as the day that the democrats defeated themselves. We have no chance now, in 08. The tide, unfortunately, has turned because of naivety like yours, and of Harry Reids.
We had our chances, and blew it. Yesterday was the time to stand tall, in the face of all of America, and the world, and we crumbled. END OF STORY, END OF MAJORITY….
May 25th, 2007 at 5:58 pmHarry,
You should have listened to your caucus.
“How to vote on the bill before us is a very difficult and personal decision for each member of this body. There are many thoughtful members of my caucus who believe we should vote “NO†— and continue to vote “NO†— until the President and his supporters come to their senses.”
Troubled
May 25th, 2007 at 5:59 pmHarry is playing for the long term. The bill was a compromise. The GOP got a few more months of war. Their argument, and not a wholly unreasonable one, though I disagree with it, is to give the surge a chance. They will get their chance. It was almost impossible to stop the surge anyway, given the reality of presidential authority and practical politics. In return, the Democrats established that Bush won’t insist on a “clean bill.†Bush will give up a lot to keep his war. Bush had to agree to some benchmarks as well. Bit by bit his power will be eroded.
So have your fun kicking Harry, but in the long run, he will prevail over Bush, unless, of course, we demand to have everything our way at once. The American people are not ready for that and won’t support that. We will prevail in time if we are united. Governing is a matter of getting to a consensus and that takes a little more time and a little more patience. Patience is a sign of maturity, something I find lacking in the current administration. You don’t hear the Democratic Senators who disagreed with Harry giving him a hard time, because they know they will have to work together tomorrow.
May 25th, 2007 at 6:19 pm