Senate Votes to Block Iraq War Money

AP ^ | By ANNE FLAHERTY

[rightinthemiddle]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Friday blocked a Republican proposal to pay $70 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan without strings attached.

The 53-45 vote was 15 votes short of the 60 needed to advance.

The measure was aimed at countering Democratic legislation that also would bankroll the operations, but would additionally require that troops start coming home in 30 days.

The Democratic bill, passed by the House on Wednesday, set a goal of ending combat by December 2008.

"We need to get the funds to the troops and we need to do it now," said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the only way to get troops the money was to approve the restrictions outlined by Democrats.

"Anything else is political posturing," said Reid.

Democrats also were expected to fall short of the 60 votes needed to advance their bill.

Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said this week that if Congress cannot pass legislation that ties war money to troop withdrawals, they would not send Bush a bill this year.

Instead, they would revisit the issue upon returning in January, pushing the Pentagon to the brink of an accounting nightmare and deepening Democrats' conflict with the White House on the war.

In the meantime, Democrats say, the Pentagon can eat into its $471 billion annual budget without being forced to take drastic steps.

"The days of a free lunch are over," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday that unless Congress passes funding for the war within days, he will direct the Army and Marine Corps to begin developing plans to lay off employees and terminate contracts early next year.

[CharlesWayneCT]

I see McCain was too busy to show up to vote.

[goldstategop]

They need 60 votes. They don't have enough to override a veto. Bush Derangement Syndrome has the Democrats in a deep grip. The vote will do wonders for their job approval rating!

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[BreitbartSentMe]

I agree. If the oil companies can immediately raise the price of gas the moment somthing goes a little hinky in the middle east, then the Pentagon should start identifying and making cuts, a little here, a little there, every time the Congress doesn’t approve money for them. Once it starts hurting the constituents back home, the Democrats will cave.

All they need to do is direct any money saved from the cuts gets immediately sent to the troops serving overseas.

[Son House]

Klobuchar (D-MN)

.
One more thing lady, until every last one of those Troops is out of the war zone, YOU DO NOT CUT ANY MILITARY FUNDS! Do I have to draw you a picture?

[kabar]

So did Dodd.

[CharlesWayneCT]

Note that Chris Dodd voted NO. That’s certainly not expected.

[CharlesWayneCT]

It was exactly the same, only backwards. Just switch the Y and N.

Four Repubs voted for defeat — snowe, collins, smith, hagel.

ONE democrat voted right — Chris Dodd (Odd vote)

One independent voted right — Joseph Leiberman

[steel_resolve]

Have we ever, in the history of our fine nation, had such a group of treasonous, self serving, loathsome, bandits such as the Democratic leadership? They want, hope and pray for civil war - and not just in Iraq. My disdain for them grows after each of these ‘stunts’. Just when I think it can’t get any worse, it does.

[Anti-Bubba182]

U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 110^th Congress - 1^st Session

as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate

Vote Summary

Question: On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to Consider S.2340 )
Vote Number:	410	Vote Date:	November 16, 2007, 09:39 AM
Required For Majority:	3/5	Vote Result:	Cloture Motion Rejected
Measure Number:	S. 2340
Measure Title:	A bill making emergency supplemental appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008, and for other purposes.

Vote Counts:	YEAs	45
	NAYs	53
	Not Voting	2

Vote Summary

By Senator Name

By Vote Position

By Home State

Alphabetical by Senator Name

Akaka (D-HI), Nay Alexander (R-TN), Yea Allard (R-CO), Yea Barrasso (R-WY), Yea Baucus (D-MT), Nay Bayh (D-IN), Nay Bennett (R-UT), Yea Biden (D-DE), Nay Bingaman (D-NM), Nay Bond (R-MO), Yea Boxer (D-CA), Nay Brown (D-OH), Nay Brownback (R-KS), Yea Bunning (R-KY), Yea Burr (R-NC), Yea Byrd (D-WV), Nay Cantwell (D-WA), Nay Cardin (D-MD), Nay Carper (D-DE), Nay Casey (D-PA), Nay Chambliss (R-GA), Yea Clinton (D-NY), Nay Coburn (R-OK), Yea Cochran (R-MS), Yea Coleman (R-MN), Yea Collins (R-ME), Yea Conrad (D-ND), Nay Corker (R-TN), Yea Cornyn (R-TX), Yea Craig (R-ID), Yea Crapo (R-ID), Yea DeMint (R-SC), Yea Dodd (D-CT), Nay Dole (R-NC), Yea

Domenici (R-NM), Yea Dorgan (D-ND), Nay Durbin (D-IL), Nay Ensign (R-NV), Yea Enzi (R-WY), Yea Feingold (D-WI), Nay Feinstein (D-CA), Nay Graham (R-SC), Yea Grassley (R-IA), Yea Gregg (R-NH), Yea Hagel (R-NE), Nay Harkin (D-IA), Nay Hatch (R-UT), Yea Hutchison (R-TX), Yea Inhofe (R-OK), Yea Inouye (D-HI), Nay Isakson (R-GA), Yea Johnson (D-SD), Nay Kennedy (D-MA), Nay Kerry (D-MA), Nay Klobuchar (D-MN), Nay Kohl (D-WI), Nay Kyl (R-AZ), Yea Landrieu (D-LA), Nay Lautenberg (D-NJ), Nay Leahy (D-VT), Nay Levin (D-MI), Nay Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea Lincoln (D-AR), Nay Lott (R-MS), Not Voting Lugar (R-IN), Yea Martinez (R-FL), Yea McCain (R-AZ), Not Voting McCaskill (D-MO), Nay

McConnell (R-KY), Yea Menendez (D-NJ), Nay Mikulski (D-MD), Nay Murkowski (R-AK), Yea Murray (D-WA), Nay Nelson (D-FL), Nay Nelson (D-NE), Nay Obama (D-IL), Nay Pryor (D-AR), Nay Reed (D-RI), Nay Reid (D-NV), Nay Roberts (R-KS), Yea Rockefeller (D-WV), Nay Salazar (D-CO), Nay Sanders (I-VT), Nay Schumer (D-NY), Nay Sessions (R-AL), Yea Shelby (R-AL), Yea Smith (R-OR), Nay Snowe (R-ME), Yea Specter (R-PA), Yea Stabenow (D-MI), Nay Stevens (R-AK), Yea Sununu (R-NH), Yea Tester (D-MT), Nay Thune (R-SD), Yea Vitter (R-LA), Yea Voinovich (R-OH), Nay Warner (R-VA), Yea Webb (D-VA), Nay Whitehouse (D-RI), Nay Wyden (D-OR), Nay

Vote Summary

By Senator Name

By Vote Position

By Home State

Grouped By Vote Position

YEAs ---45
Alexander (R-TN) Allard (R-CO) Barrasso (R-WY) Bennett (R-UT) Bond (R-MO) Brownback (R-KS) Bunning (R-KY) Burr (R-NC) Chambliss (R-GA) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS) Coleman (R-MN) Collins (R-ME) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX)	Craig (R-ID) Crapo (R-ID) DeMint (R-SC) Dole (R-NC) Domenici (R-NM) Ensign (R-NV) Enzi (R-WY) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Gregg (R-NH) Hatch (R-UT) Hutchison (R-TX) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Kyl (R-AZ)	Lieberman (ID-CT) Lugar (R-IN) Martinez (R-FL) McConnell (R-KY) Murkowski (R-AK) Roberts (R-KS) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Snowe (R-ME) Specter (R-PA) Stevens (R-AK) Sununu (R-NH) Thune (R-SD) Vitter (R-LA) Warner (R-VA)

NAYs ---53
Akaka (D-HI) Baucus (D-MT) Bayh (D-IN) Biden (D-DE) Bingaman (D-NM) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Byrd (D-WV) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Clinton (D-NY) Conrad (D-ND) Dodd (D-CT) Dorgan (D-ND) Durbin (D-IL) Feingold (D-WI)	Feinstein (D-CA) Hagel (R-NE) Harkin (D-IA) Inouye (D-HI) Johnson (D-SD) Kennedy (D-MA) Kerry (D-MA) Klobuchar (D-MN) Kohl (D-WI) Landrieu (D-LA) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Lincoln (D-AR) McCaskill (D-MO) Menendez (D-NJ) Mikulski (D-MD) Murray (D-WA)	Nelson (D-FL) Nelson (D-NE) Obama (D-IL) Pryor (D-AR) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Rockefeller (D-WV) Salazar (D-CO) Sanders (I-VT) Schumer (D-NY) Smith (R-OR) Stabenow (D-MI) Tester (D-MT) Voinovich (R-OH) Webb (D-VA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR)

[CharlesWayneCT]

They are hoping that since they had enough votes to pass a funding bill, that they can get their buddies in the MSM to blame REPUBLICANS for the refusal to “fund the troops”. And if that works and Bush vetoes it, that the MSM will blame BUSH for “vetoing the funding for the troops”.

They are effectively cutting the funding without having the political courage to take the vote cutting the funding.

[rightinthemiddle]

“Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday that unless Congress passes funding for the war within days, he will direct the Army and Marine Corps to begin developing plans to lay off employees and terminate contracts early next year.”

________

Gates should start laying off the civilian/Democrat/Bureaucrat “dead weight” employees in the DOD.

Put a little note in with their pink slip:

“Thank Nancy and Harry for this...you voted for them!”

[Marysecretary]

I know Walsh from Syracuse voted with them. No more votes from either of us. He can lose next time.

[goldstategop]

They don't dare to formally revoke the war funding. If the American people were really with them, they could end the War today. The Democrats do not have public opinion on their side.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Miss Didi]

On the way to the 6 train this morning, I saw a young man dressed in army fatigues weighed down by a huge backpack and all his gear also headed in the same direction. He dropped something, so I helped him pick it up and then thanked him for his service.

A few minutes later at another stoplight, another woman thanked him and so I thanked him again and shook his hand asking him his name and where he was headed. The woman tried to buy his subway fare but he wouldn't accept. I told him he would be in our prayers and not to worry, that we've got his back.

He was such a fine young man, so grateful and courteous. Of course, afterward I broke down and sobbed in the street...meeting him just made my day!

[JWinNC]

this is bad for the dems

unfortunately it’s also bad for our military

jw

[rightinthemiddle]

So, Gordon Smith and Chuck Hagel voted with the Democrats both times.

Snowe and Collins voted “yea” on both the Democrat and the Republican version. How “centrist.”

Lieberman voted with the Pubbies both times. Good for him. Now, if he could just shut up about ANWR being a permanent wilderness area...

[MEG33]

Not Specter..Hagel

[rightinthemiddle]

I was in Lowe’s a few weeks ago. The “kid” employee helping me told me this was his last week at work. I asked him if he’d found a new job, going to school. He said, “No, I’ve completed my training and I’m going to Iraq...I’m a Marine.”

We talked for about 20 minutes...I told him the majority of Americans support the military AND the mission...that he shouldn’t count on the media.

The funny thing is, most of the “kids” haven’t been around long enough to know the media LIES. He said he and his buddies talked about it during training and were just realizing the difference between what the MSM says and what the average American believes.

I could tell how PROUD he was to be going and that I would take the time to talk to him. He’s a .50 cal gunner.

I’m kinda tearing up...I’ll finish later.

[Anti-Bubba182]

Chuck Hagel should do better. He is a complete meathead. Snow and Collins are arch Rinos. The only thing good about them is the two Rs they add toward a GOP majority.

[Arrowhead1952]

New bumper sticker ideas.

democRATs
for DEFEAT

---

democrats are
PHONEY PATRIOTS