Five year anniversary: Senate votes to authorize war.
By on Oct 11th, 2007 at 11:33 am
Five year anniversary: Senate votes to authorize war.
Five years ago today, the Senate voted in the dead of night to authorize the use of military force in Iraq by a vote of 77-23. Bush heralded the vote, stating, “America speaks with one voice.” Contending that the authorization was a “blank check,” Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) warned, “This is the Tonkin Gulf resolution all over again. Let us stop, look and listen. Let us not give this president or any president unchecked power. Remember the Constitution.” Here are the 23 Senators who courageously voted no:
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Hooray for Hawaii, Vermont, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Michigan, and Maryland! BOTH senators from each of these six states voted against this insanity.
Unfortunately, both of my senators voted for it — one of whom is running for President right now (John Edwards). Of course, he has apologized for it, and has even uttered the magic words “I was wrong.” I imagine he’s not the only one.
October 11th, 2007 at 11:43 amThank you Sen. Murray (D-WA) for knowing enough not to trust this Fascist War Criminal who stole the WH and spits on the constitution.
Buck Fush
October 11th, 2007 at 11:47 amEight comments, and seven of them scrubbed already?
Don’t get me wrong…scrubbing some of the more vile troll posts is essential to maintain the signal-to-noise ratio…but when all dissenting voices are ruthlessly silenced in this manner, it threatens to turn the site into an echo chamber…and echo chambers are rather dull and pointless.
October 11th, 2007 at 11:48 amThank you Senator Russ Feingold from Wisconsin for not voting for war.
We need to bring our Troops home NOW.
October 11th, 2007 at 11:51 amMe, too, missmolly. Both of my senators (Schumer & Clinton) unapologetically voted for the resolution (though I suspect for different reasons). We know now that many of the reasons for invading Iraq turned out to be false. (What they said was a legitimate reason to invade and remove Saddam turned out not to be true, and what they said that turned out to be true was not a legitimate reason to invade and remove Saddam.) What amazes me no end is that there are still some senators who say that given all that we know now (including the fact that the White House was lying about certain key things), they still would have voted to give this president that authorization. Those people should not be allowed to govern.
October 11th, 2007 at 11:53 amConsidering the scrubbed posts, most likely have something to do with how those who voted no are traitors, and should be hung, I can’t blame TP for scrubbing them. As the neo-cons lose more and more, they get meaner and more violent.
October 11th, 2007 at 11:53 amLet me pause a moment and recognize the independent thought and action of Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island. Despite his Republican affiliations, I never found him to be mindlessly partisan. I don’t live in Rhode Island, so I don’t enjoy the best perspective on his tenure, but if Republicans must occupy high office, I’d take fifty Lincoln Chafees over the McConnells, Cornyns, and Lotts of the world any day.
October 11th, 2007 at 11:53 amDick Cheney: one of the most corrupt, evil, and vilest personages to ever have lived. Ranked right up there with Hitler, Goering, Himmler, Goebbels, Stalin, Pol Pot, and Attila the Hun.
October 11th, 2007 at 11:54 amEight comments, and seven of them scrubbed already?
Comment by TripMaster Monkey — October 11, 2007 @ 11:48 am
There was a typo in the original text which I pointed out. I told them to delete my comment after making the correction. Perhaps that’s what many of the other deleted comments were, too.
October 11th, 2007 at 11:55 amWho could have suspected that Robert Byrd, the aged, feeble, windbag bordering on senility, would have more smarts than most of Congress?
October 11th, 2007 at 11:55 amDick Cheney: one of the most corrupt, evil, and vilest personages to ever have lived. Ranked right up there with Hitler, Goering, Himmler, Goebbels, Stalin, Pol Pot, and Attila the Hun.
Comment by Uncle Ho — October 11, 2007 @ 11:54 am
And Unka, don’t forget The Joker!! He has an uncanny resemblance to him, as well.
October 11th, 2007 at 11:56 amComment by Red Pill — October 11, 2007 @ 11:53 am
I agree with you about Senator Chafee, and I’m sorry he’s no longer in the Senate. I truly believe that Rhode Islanders would have enthusiastically returned him to office if it wasn’t for the high importance of getting a Democratic majority in 2006.
October 11th, 2007 at 11:57 amupside; compared to Cheney, the Joker looks like the milk of human kindness.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:02 pmI sure do miss Paul Wellstone. He was a courageous, intelligent man who loved his country.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:02 pmAnd Unka, don’t forget The Joker!! He has an uncanny resemblance to him, as well.
Comment by upside99 — October 11, 2007 @ 11:56 am
The Joker? Nah… I’m thinking The Penguin. Much closer resemblance. And they have the same laugh (at least, the way Jon Stewart portrays it).
October 11th, 2007 at 12:02 pmI sure do miss Paul Wellstone. He was a courageous, intelligent man who loved his country.
Comment by koko the talking gorilla — October 11, 2007 @ 12:02 pm
Hear, hear, Koko! I struggle to jibe Senator Wellstone’s premature death with any notion of a loving and benevolent God.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:05 pmRed Pill; the good die young. Evil farts live to a ripe old age.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:26 pmBoth of my senators, despite being democratic, are not on this list. I would think Joe Biden, with his vast foreign policy experience, would have known better than to trust the neocons. Tom Carper is a centrist DLC type so I didn’t expect him to vote no. He’s almost as hawkish as Lieberman. I also agree with previous posts about Lincoln Chafee. He was a reliable anti-war vote.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:39 pmLet me pause a moment and recognize the independent thought and action of Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island. Despite his Republican affiliations, I never found him to be mindlessly partisan. I don’t live in Rhode Island, so I don’t enjoy the best perspective on his tenure, but if Republicans must occupy high office, I’d take fifty Lincoln Chafees over the McConnells, Cornyns, and Lotts of the world any day.
Comment by Red Pill — October 11, 2007 @ 11:53 am
Chafee was, and still is, hugely popular in RI. That he got creamed by Whitehouse was purely a reflection of the contempt with which the GOP is held in this part of the country. However much we celebrated the Dem successes in 06, I was quite mindful of the fact our neighbors in CT returned a complete a**wipe to office, while we turned out class act.
It had to be done, but it wasn’t without some regret.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:55 pmRest in peace, Senator Wellstone. It’ll be a long time before we forget your service to Minnesota and the United States.
October 11th, 2007 at 1:07 pmHillary not on that list.
Hillary Clinton has no business running as a Democrat.
October 11th, 2007 at 1:25 pmI was quite mindful of the fact our neighbors in CT returned a complete a**wipe to office, while we turned out class act.
Comment by Dumb_Fox — October 11, 2007 @ 12:55 pm
You make an excellent point. It must have been galling to have made a great sacrifice for a greater cause while your next door neighbor returned Lieberman.
October 11th, 2007 at 2:01 pm.
Comment by Buckie Boy — October 11, 2007 @ 11:47 am
Yet she continues to vote for it’s continuation. If she felt it to be wrong THEN, then how can she continue to fund it now?
.
October 11th, 2007 at 3:44 pmI take great pride in knowing Sen. Dick Durbin was among those who voted no. Our other Illinois Senator, Barack Obama, was not yet in office. He replaced one-hit-wonder Peter Fitzgerald, who offended the Illinois GOP by, um, thinking for himself — but, of course, he, too voted for this mindless war.
October 11th, 2007 at 6:06 pmHow sad it is to see the late Senator Paul Wellstone’s name there and to know that he is no longer with us. Such a post reminds me of what we lost we he died. We need no fewer Wellstone’s in this world, but more.
October 11th, 2007 at 6:42 pmRobert Byrd was by far the most courageous when he fully exposed the neocons true reasoning behind our toppling of Iraq.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=x5s7z-EDJGo
October 11th, 2007 at 7:55 pmAs folks against the war, we really need to think about the fact that none of the Senators running for the Democratic Party presidential nomination voted against authorizing military force. Moreover, most of their plans to “end the war” do nothing of the sort…
http://www.mediamouse.org/features/101107democ.php
October 11th, 2007 at 9:03 pmI credit their “no” vote more to intelligence than I do courage. Thank god for their intelligence. If only there were more intelligent politicians running this country, we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in today.
October 12th, 2007 at 2:35 pm