The Dems’ War, Too
Posted on | May 24, 2007
Having failed to gather veto-proof support for withdrawal from Iraq on a timetable, the Democratic majority in both houses is poised to send the president a blank check:
As a result, the $120bn (£61bn) measure, agreed after intense negotiations with Republican leaders, is set to contain only benchmarks for political action by the Iraqi government, and a requirement for the Bush administration to deliver progress reports to Congress. If the Baghdad government falls short, it could face cuts in aid from Washington.
Recall how this president ignored reporting requirements when he first ordered the invasion and conquest of Iraq four years ago. Why would the Dems cave on their timetable? It appears that they have surrendered, without a fight, to the idiotic notion that defunding the war would leave our troops literally stranded on the battlefield without ammunition or water. Watch carefully to see who actually votes for the resulting bill, and add their names to the list of those responsible for the continuing misery and death in Iraq.
Stupid wins again in America, with able assistance from Corruption: here’s how your representatives’ votes will be hidden from you:
Every bill comes to the House floor with what is known as a “rule” that sets the terms of the debate over the legislation in question. House members first vote to approve this parliamentary rule, and then vote on the legislation. Today, however, Democrats are planning to essentially include the Iraq blank check bill IN the rule itself, by making sure the underlying bill the rule brings to the floor includes no timelines for withdrawal, and that the rule only allows amendments that fund the war with no restrictions - blank check amendments that House Democratic leaders know Republicans will have the votes to pass.
This means that when the public goes to look for the real vote on the Iraq supplemental bill, the public won’t find that. All we will find is a complex parliamentary procedure vote, which was the real vote. Democratic lawmakers, of course, will use the Memorial Day recess to tell their angry constituents they really are using all of their power to end the war, that they voted against the Republican blank check amendment which the rule deliberately propels, and that the vote on the rule - which was the real vote for war - wasn’t really the important vote, when, in fact, they know very well it is the biggest vote on the war since original 2002 authorization for the invasion…
You are going to see a lot of Democrats stand up and berate the war, and say they really are voting against funding the war because they are voting against the predetermined Republican amendment. Yet, most of these Democrats will likely vote for the rule, which is the real vote for war. Democrats voting yes on the rule are the ones who are casting their vote to give President Bush a blank check.
UPDATE: The Dems passed the rule as gloomily predicted above, 218-201. Notable among the handful of Democratic nays was presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich.
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