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Posted on 07/18/2007 9:38:10 AM PDT by 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.
It’s a sign of desperation - the Rats can’t afford to wait until September and face the possibility that the news then from Iraq will be positive - they have to roll the dice now and try to force a surrender to bolster their own domestic political prospects.
I think yours could be a good approach. Call their bluff. Let them suffer the fallout.
The Warner amendment probably would have gotten 60 votes. So this way, we don’t get stuck with that amendment, BUT we can argue that not only is Reid blocking troop funding, but he also refused to give a vote to a popular Iraq measure.
Even if he gets his votes and this passes, the President could veto and they do not have the votes to override. Thus, this is going no where.
This is pure folly to appease the moonbats!
I’d like to see a comparison as to how the GOP in Congress during Clinton’s Kosovo/Bosnian escapades acted. I know they opposed one of the two, but I don’t recall them playing these sort of games.
...the enemy within - Michael Savage
I think the 2008 fiscal year begins Oct.1, 2007 and runs until Sept. 30, 2008.
It would be a tie and not a majority change. wouldn’t it?
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Reid’s bluffing! He’s down to his last hand. This is a hail-mary for the moonbats.
This bill that Harry Reid is going to pull or has pulled is packed with hate crimes laws that Ted Kennedy loaded it up with so George Bush would have to sign it. The liberal bastards manage to screw us either way we turn.
Just another “Cut and Run” loser dimocrat!
If al-Qaeda has an equivalent to the Medal of Honor, Harry certainly deserves it.
The Republicans could get around this by allowing a vote, knowing President Bush will veto it. Get all the senators ON RECORD in an election cycle, for or against surrender.
Then Harry has to bring back the Defense bill, since he’s only tabled it to get a vote on the surrender bill.
Win-win.
Let’s make sure that get themselves labeled as the SURRENDER party....
Keep the intensity up. Our warriors down range are fighting 24/7 in some of the most brutal conditions on earth....Their flanks back home deserve to be guarded from the DEMS/MSM.....It is the GOP bases job to guard their flanks (with not buts or ifs....just do it. Rally together and let's do it).
Keep the intensity on D.C. and on the MSM.
http://www.conservativeusa.org/mega-cong.htm
No VP cheney makes it a majority
I believe so. Cheney breaks the tie.
For about five minutes, then one of the liberal republicans will break to independent and caucus with the democrats.
Harry Reid can go f-— himself
This guy is amazing. He keeps putting himself and his party in positions in which they cannot win even if they did win. But Reid is true the fundamentals of the Democrat Party, surrending to the bad guys on foreign soil and overtaxing the good guys at home.
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