Early to Bed – Early to Rise
Well, you know what it makes a man…
To bad you can’t find any of them in the United States Senate.
The Senate Slumber Party – Hosted by Harry Reid – Nevada
It makes one wish there was a “Nuclear Option”, doesn’t it?
This from David Brody:
Let’s get down to the political reality. When the Levin-Reed amendment to withdrawal troops out of Iraq is voted on today, it will fail. My guess is it will gather around 52 votes. That’s 8 short of the 60 needed. We’ve heard a lot about some Republicans jumping ship on President Bush when it comes to Iraq, but the votes are still not there yet for a complete pullout.
Let’s do a little math. The magic number is 60 to get anything passed in the Senate. There are 51 Democrats but Joe Lieberman won’t vote with the Democrats on the war and Democrat Tim Johnson is still not able to vote because of his illness. So 51-2=49. Now, you have about 10 Republicans who MAY vote for some sort of new strategy in Iraq. It could be enforcing the Iraq War Study group plans or some sort of shift from troop combat to a counterterrorism mission. Let’s say ALL 10 vote with the Democrats. That’s 49+10=59.
That’s still one vote short. Even if it passes, it is definitely NOT veto proof. Also, let’s remember, a complete troop pullout would have nowhere near the 60 votes.
Oh, and while you weren’t sleeping:
Top al-Qaida in Iraq figure captured
Khaled Abdul-Fattah Dawoud Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, also known as Abu Shahid, was captured in Mosul on July 4, said Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner, a military spokesman.
“Al-Mashhadani is believed to be the most senior Iraqi in the al-Qaida in Iraq network,” Bergner said. He said al-Mashhadani was a close associate of Abu Ayub al-Masri, the Egyptian-born head of al-Qaida in Iraq.
Bergner said al-Mashhadani served as an intermediary between al-Masri and Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri.
But Iraq is not where the War on Terror is… That is what the Senate is losing sleep over.
It’s a very simple equation: Is the loss of US soldier’s life and the monetary cost of keeping our troops over there worth the various possible befits we hope to gain (security in the region, reduction of terrorist support, ally in the mid-east, access to oil, democracy and safety for Iraqis, etc).
The problem is how to estimate just how likely those possible benefits are. If they were 100% likely for all, there would be near-unanimous support. If it was know to be zero chance, we wouldn’t be there in the first place. The argument is really all around what that chance is.
Probably terribly obvious to y’all, but it helped me to frame it for myself this way.
Comment by Cisco — July 18, 2007 @ 1:23:03 PM
Please, you must remove the “Nevada” after his name in your post. It’s embarrassing me.
Comment by Laura — July 18, 2007 @ 4:00:23 PM
I recommend all Nevada residents take note of his actions and kindly vote him out of office next time he’s up. “It’s time we send a message to Washington”…
Comment by Chan — July 18, 2007 @ 5:30:29 PM
The Honorable Senator Reid’s Term ends in 2010.
I wonder who will vote him out first; the people of his State, or the Democratic Caucus of which he is the Majority Leader?
Comment by Jeremy — July 18, 2007 @ 5:38:18 PM
[...] the Slumber Party of July 2007 (Hosted by Harry Reid – Nevada :: Sorry Laura), I ask the question, who really [...]
Pingback by Jeremy-Gilby-dot-com » So Who Really Lost? — July 19, 2007 @ 8:42:06 AM
I kindly have never voted for him.
We have been hoping for a very long time that this state wakes up and votes him out.
Comment by Laura — July 19, 2007 @ 5:08:39 PM