What do these 12 Senators have in common with the 13th?
Posted on 01/26/2005 9:23:45 AM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) won easy confirmation Wednesday to be President Bush (news - web sites)'s new secretary of state, despite strong dissent from a small group of Democrats who said she shares blame for mistakes and war deaths in Iraq (news - web sites).
The Senate voted 85 to 13 to confirm Rice, who succeeds Colin Powell (news - web sites) as America's top diplomat and becomes the first black woman to hold the job.
Plans were made for her to be sworn in at the White House Wednesday night, take her place in the State Department Thursday morning and have a more elaborate swearing-in by Bush at the agency on Friday.
The Senate vote showed some of the partisanship that delayed Rice's confirmation vote by several days. Twelve Democrats and independent James Jeffords (news - web sites) of Vermont voted against Rice. The Democrats included some of the Senate's best-known members such as Massachusetts Democratic Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John Kerry (news - web sites), who was the party's presidential candidate in last year's election. Thirty Democrats voted for her.
Democratic foes of her appointment focused mostly on the way Bush and Rice took the United States to war in Iraq and how they have handled the war with insurgents since deposing Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).
They said mistakes had led to mounting American casualties. As the debate drew to a close, word came from Iraq of the crash of a U.S. military transport helicopter in bad weather, killing at least 30 people in the worst U.S. loss since the war.
Rice's nomination was never in doubt, however. Republicans had hoped to hold the vote last week, on the same day that Bush took the oath for his second term, but Democrats asked for more time. The GOP accused Democrats of inappropriately delaying Rice's confirmation to make political statements about Iraq policy.
Rice, 50, is Bush's trusted national security aide and a main architect of his policies on Iraq and the war on terror.
Although Rice was assured of confirmation, she got the most "no" votes since World War II. Seven senators voted against Henry Kissinger and six each against Dean Acheson and Alexander Haig.
"Dr. Rice is an honorable, fine public servant who needs to be confirmed," Bush said during a news conference Wednesday. "She will be a great secretary of state and Dr. Rice and I look forward to moving forward."
Bush rejected claims by Democrats that they had been lied to in the run-up to the war in Iraq.
On the Senate floor Wednesday, Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., suggested Democrats are sore losers. Rice had enough votes to win confirmation, as even her Democratic critics acknowledge, McCain said.
"So I wonder why we are starting this new Congress with a protracted debate about a foregone conclusion," McCain said. Since Rice is qualified for the job, he said, "I can only conclude that we are doing this for no other reason than because of lingering bitterness over the outcome of the election."
What had seemed at the outset to be a cinch turned into sometimes angry debate over Bush's decision to go to war with Iraq, his struggle with a potent insurgency and Rice's role in helping him make a case for overthrowing Saddam.
An academic who specialized in the study of the now-defunct Soviet Union, she has been one of Bush's closest advisers as his national security adviser for four years. In testimony last week to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, she swore she has not been shy about disagreeing with him privately at times.
Now, she will be at his side trying to improve relations with European allies, pursuing a Middle East settlement between Israel and the Palestinians, seeking a way to stop North Korea (news - web sites) and Iran from developing nuclear weapons — and, above all, trying to pacify Iraq with limited additional U.S. casualties.
well what i'm saying is that the negative always gets the spotlight...I can't remember the link but McCain votes ovr 80% or so with the Repubs but gets the spotlight on issues that show him on the Dem side. The press is lib so they like to show McCain in their light and not the total light
The usual suspects! Isn't Jumpin' Jeffords up for election in 2006? Any chance the Republicans can pick up this traitor's seat?
Whoops, thought I was on the longer LIVE thread (I have both windows open)
The thirteen are:
Boxer
Bayh
Byrd
Dayton
Akaka
Lautenberg
Levin
Durbin
Kennedy
Kerry
Reed (of RI)
Jeffords
Ack, someone is slipping my mind...
He announced on the Senate Floor yesterday that he would vote no.
I recommend looking up his comments as they are very revealing about this supposed "moderate".
McCAin still has to stay viable with the real voters for 2008.
And don't say that anyone here won't vote for that ticket when the only alternative is Hillary and Bill back in the white House.
well I didn't use the word "moderate" I said non partisan but even pundits like Hannity and others have descrobed him this way. The thing about him is he doesn't lash out and become rabid like alot of the Dems.......I will listen to anyone that is civil with their discourse. When you listen to him in interviews he is quite reasoned. Not a conservative but reasonable
Does anyone know who started the the story that Bush and his people actually lied about WMD's in Iraq?
I figure it was MoveOn or Answer, or one of the tried and true hard left socialist groups (guess that means any of the Dem politicians, for that matter). But I now keep hearing "Bush lied" from ordinary people on the street who should know better and I'd love to let them know who they are quoting when they say that.
Ah, yes, clearly Bush's fault. he should have known about the bad weather and had a plan in place to counter it!
that sounds fine and I would never underestimate either of the Clinton's. Say what you want about them but they are both very good politicians. I wouldn't mind a conservative and a moderate on the ticket....you could throw Guilianni in there too.......I'm not a one issue voter so some of their stances don't bother me nearly as much as a Dem winning cause some people are too narrow minded to be inclusive
James Jeffords is such a tool.
Boxer <--- Still channeling Mikey Moore
Bayh <--- A real son of a Birch
Harkin <--- POS lied about HIS service during Vietnam, never saw a minute of air combat.
Kennedy <--- Unindicted murderer of Mary Jo Kopechne
Byrd <--- Racist former Klansman suffering from dementia
Kerry <--- Traitor, violated Logan Act TWICE.
Akaka <--- Another Hawaiian 'Rat
Levin <--- Reprising Burgess Meredith role as 'The Penguin'
Jeffords [I] <-- say what you will, Jumpin Jim is a [D]
Durbin <--- Who put the 'DU' in 'Durbin'?
Dayton <--- Politically Dead Putz Walking
Reed <--- As small as the State he represents (Rhode Island)
Lautenberg <--- Joisy toxic waste overflows the bowl again.
Yes he is. He dissed the SBVets. It should have been a "Thumper moment"
(Thumper: If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.)
but McCain is one of the few in the Senate who is trying to get rid of waste and the PORK in the budget that all the senator whores get for their state......that is not a big govt theme
That cunning runt couldn't kill herself with instructions........
This vote against Rice by Evan Bayh is unexpected. It only makes sense if he is keeping his options open for a POTUS bid in '08.
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