Breaking: Reid Yanks Defense Authorization Bill To Force GOP's Hand

TPM CAFE ^ | 7-18-07 | Greg Sargent

[tcrlaf]

Ratcheting up the stakes in the wake of the GOP's successful blocking of a vote on Iraq withdrawal just moments ago, Harry Reid just announced on the Senate floor that he won't allow a vote on the entire Defense Authorization bill until the Senate GOP drops its filibustering of votes on Iraq.

The move is significant because it could hold up the funding of the Pentagon's fiscal 2008 priorities until the standoff is resolved.

It comes only moments after the Republican filibuster succeeded in preventing a vote on the Reed-Levin amendment, which would have mandated withdrawal by April 2008.

Reid said:

I have temporarily laid aside the Defense Authorization bill and have entered a motion to reconsider.

But let me be clear to my Republican colleagues – I emphasize the word "temporarily". We will do everything in our power to change course in Iraq. We will do everything in our power to complete consideration of a Defense Authorization bill. We must do both.

And just to remind my Republican colleagues – even if this bill had passed yesterday, its provisions would not take effect until October.

So we will come back to this bill as soon as it is clear we can make real progress. To that end, I have asked the Democratic Whip and Democratic Manager of the bill to sit down with their counterparts to work on a process to address all outstanding issues related to this bill so the Senate can return to it as soon as possible.

What this means is that Reid isn't allowing any votes on any other Iraq amendments -- not the toothless Warner-Lugar amendment, not the Ken Salazar amendment that would force adoption of the Baker-Hamilton plan, nothing.

Fellow TPM reporter Spencer Ackerman also says that Reid's move is very significant in another way:

Because the Pentagon's priorities won't become law until a Defense Authorization bill is passed, the Pentagon's fiscal 08 priorities won't get funded until this standoff is resolved -- and Reid is insisting that won't happen until the GOP allows a vote on the Iraq withdrawal measures.

More soon.

[burrite]

Mike Enzi for Vice President!!!!

[Miss Didi]

Rush on yesterday's show:

They don't think you're smart enough to understand that they are the ones who are trying to engineer a humiliating defeat for the United States for the simple purpose of pinning the loss on Bush. I've long been saying this, and I've been saying it since as a theory, but it much more acutely now. It is crystal clear to me what these people are doing. It's also crystal clear to me that they're tone deaf. It is crystal clear to me that their arrogance and condescension is such that it prevents them from seeing the mistake that they're making. Here we are in the middle of the surge. It's working. The boots on the ground everybody is talking about, are working. The Democrats are not the disputing these reports, by the way, from General Pace; yesterday the New York Times, Major General Rick Lynch. The Democrats -- well, they might tonight. It will be interesting to see. But so far they haven't disputed any of this.

They just ignoring it, and they're trying to create false news with the help of their buddies in the Drive-By Media. "It's all falling apart. It's so bad, we can't wait. We have to get out now!" What I want you to know is, the only reason we have to get out now is because if it's working -- and this, by the way, the NIE and these two statements from the two military guys in the past two days? They were the worst news the Democrats could have heard. That's why they're doing this all-nighter tonight. That's why here hoping it gets covered the way they want it covered: "Bash Bush! Blame Bush! Try to overwhelm the report of the surge being successful with another all-nighter of drum beating, doom and gloom, negative Bush-bashing," knowing fellowly the Drive-Bys are going to amplify it and cover it. Here's the point. Iraq will be a Bush and Republican loss -- even though the Democrats will have forced it -- if they succeed somewhere down the road the next year and a half. They're peeling off these Republican moderates. I'll get a little story on that as the program unfolds today. So far, they don't have the votes to cut off funding, and I don't think that they would ever do it if they did have the votes.

It wouldn't be veto proof. But this defeat, this theoretical defeat that they're seeking, and all the horror that will flow from it will be laid at the Republicans' feet. I'm telling you what this is. This is about one thing. It's about building a Democrat political agenda for the next 25 years. They're not going to lose the House again like they did in '94. They're not going to go through 14 years in the wilderness! That's not going to happen -- and they're not going to lose the Senate. It's not going to happen! So they're setting all this up. They gave it a shot with immigration. That was the Comprehensive Destroy the Republican Party Act of 2007. We staved it off, but these people are relentless. Their weakest point has been national security. They intent to manipulate the war effort to, in their minds, "fix" that. So, while embracing surrender and the anti-war movement and undermining the war, they expect to come out of this as the national security party -- and they can only do that with the help of the Drive-By Media and securing a loss. But I don't even think they can pull that off. I don't think there is any way that they can be seen as strong as national security, given the rhetoric and the votes and the way they have behaved in the first six and a half months of this Congress.

[Mad_as_heck]

From a purely political standpoint, Obama would do himself a world of good to stand up and completely break with his party on this issue.

We are really suffering for a lack of a sane wing in the Democratic party. Too bad Obama lacks what it takes to bring them back from edge of the abyss.

[GOPologist]

Yes, he could stoop lower, for he is:

Harry “The Chamber” Pot: The bedroom doom that never ends.

[Stayfree]

DINGY HARRY JUST CAN'T SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY!

[sure_fine]

how did the Dem’s pajama party become a GOP filibuster

[madison10]

Do we have a better source for Harry Reid’s actions than this blog? I can’t find the info anywhere else.

[Plains Drifter]

I’m getting my information here on Freepers, try a title search in the search bar. I’ll look thru my history, that story wasn’t over a week old.

[burrite]

Someone should wake up Drudge so that he can change his page..let him know that news is happening

[Dan Middleton]

If this is some kind of hoax, I’ll be both relieved and annoyed. Relieved for obvious reasons, annoyed because I’d really like to see the Dems blow their foot off over this...and because I already wrote a scathing e-mail to Ol’ Searchlight.

[MEGoody]

Reid said: I have temporarily laid aside the Defense Authorization bill and have entered a motion to reconsider am having a hissy fit because I didn't get my way.

There. . .fixed it.

[PerConPat]

But this defeat, this theoretical defeat that they're [ the Dims] seeking, and all the horror that will flow from it will be laid at the Republicans' feet. I'm telling you what this is. This is about one thing. It's about building a Democrat political agenda for the next 25 years.

Ah, the divine Rush... This is the salient point of the entire matter. It's a bell curve thing. The general public will not easily believe that one of the major parties is capable of this sort of treachery. The same approach worked for Hitler. The one indispensable ingredient for a Rat success is a US defeat in Iraq etc.. The GOP Has once again been handed a club by the Party of Defeat. The question is, of course, one of whether the Pub's will put the lumber to the Leftist scum?

[Natural Law]

This is a GREAT idea. I wish there was a grass roots organization to have local bake sales and fund raisers for the troops. I’ll bet Melanie Morgan could pull this off.

[madison10]

The Military Hating Dems can go rot...

[CutePuppy]

In general, you are right, because it matters in terms of raw numbers as to who (which party) has a control of Congress / Senate and thus sets the agenda, including which bills even make it to the table, though GOP is inept enough that they can’t seem to even exercise their majority.

In the specific case of Linc Chafee, it wouldn’t matter because he declared after the loss that he would switch parties if he won - that, after the huge amount of money and immense support and pleas to Republicans by White House and RNC and NRSC to vote for him. I think it’s better that he lost in the election than actually bestow that ultimate act of betrayal upon the people who supported and voted for him, despite his obvious disqualifications and ingratitude.

I only hope that voters in “red states” can do the basic math and see this logic of voting for Republicans instead of faux “conservative” “Blue Dog” Democrats, because for their issues to be advanced depends a lot more on leadership of the Congress than their local Congressman. Of course, it would be nice if the Republicans deserved to be voted for, but that’s the matter to be reolved in primaries and for voters to warn their local or state party that their chosen candidate will have no chance to win in general elections.

[Red_Devil 232]

When does funding actually run out? When will this have an effect?

This funding bill was originally scheduled to come to the floor of the Senate in late September. The DemRats moved it up for some partisan political reason that I don't understand. What ever the reason, the grandstanding of Reid in announcing he was pulling it from the floor has back fired on him. Reid is a fool and has played the wrong card at the wrong time.

[Miss Didi]

Yes, the divine Rush is right. At least someone is exposing the Dems for what they are. I pray that the Repubs will club them good.

[jrooney]

Reid has just proven he cares more about saving Al Qaeda from defeat then feeding our troops and giving them the bullets to defend themselves.

[Berosus]

So far Reid has promised (and delivered):

All the obstructionism of Daschle,
Twice the hatred, and
Half the intelligence.

Last month Joe Lieberman threatened to switch parties if the Dims didn’t change their ways, thereby giving the Senate back to the Republicans. Maybe now is the time for him to do that.

[elizabetty]

I say we stop paying our taxes and send our money directly to the soldiers.