Kyle gives us the story:
Last week, Senator Chuck Hagel insisted that it was time all 100 U.S. Senators take a stand on President George W. Bush’s plans for a “troop surge”/escalation of our military operations in Iraq. Yesterday, he faced down Sen. John McCain on ABC’s “This Week,” repeating his insistence that the U.S. Senate should take action to oppose Bush’s plan - at least, in principle.
Well, it looks like Hagel’s All Talk Express might have reached new levels of ridiculousness and hypocrisy, as Senate Republicans are counting on his vote to forestall and filibuster the Senate’s even debating the resolutions opposing Bush’s plan.
Recall, again the speech that Hagel gave to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:
“This is a very real, responsible, addressing of the most divisive issue in this country since Vietnam. Sure, it’s tough. Absolutely. And, I think, all 100 senators ought to be on the line on this. What do you believe? What are you willing to support? What do you think? Why were you elected? If you wanted a safe job, go sell shoes.“
But like Warner, Collins, Smith, and the rest of the Republicans afraid of what their stance on the war could do for their chances at re-election, Hagel is going to go along with the partisan political play. In spite of themselves, the Republicans may be strengthening Democratic resolve on the issue - forcing them to put some teeth into the matter. If the non-binding resolution never comes to a vote, then the amount of bipartisan support doesn’t really matter. The Republicans won’t be able to play these games with the defense budget, where any number of proposals to bring the troops home may come up for a vote - and will likely fail.
This proposal - one that says we should stay the course in Iraq, and only very mildly rebukes the President - is too offensive to the Republican leadership. They really can’t stomach any criticism or perceived embarrassment. But even the cosponsor of this resolution, Warner, will vote to filibuster it. You can’t trust a Republican to be honest or principled. We should have learned that much by now.
Unlike some Robin Hoods, I can speak with a British accent.
In other words, sorry to Dave about lifting this article’s title. I was already in the process of using it myself when I noticed “dibs” had been called.
In my defense, I referenced “Married with Children”, so I think it’s safe to say that I win - this round.
And, now, Kos and the Center for American Progress are both stealing our thunder. Figures.