Is anyone watching the Senate floor now?

[partylessinOhio]

Iran, Iran, Iran is in every sentence being spoken. The Repugs have taken over the discussion supporting the Lieberman amendment. Linsey Graham speaking now. Snowe is onboard with her support too. (They don't change their spots - so don't trust any of them.)

Where is Reid? Whimping out somewhere in the cloakroom? The Webb amendment to limit the duty time for the troops was defeated but Lieberman's is going to pass? What is going on here?

The Senate is setting the stage for an invasion into another country - IRAN? Are we going to let this happen again?

[trashcanistanista]

1. Yes, they are beginning their go after Iran spin.

It's been non-stop now for the last 20 minutes with McCain and Graham and I should add in their identical color coordinated outfits today. Losers.

[madrchsod]

2. the republicans get equal time to spout off their insanity

does`t matter what they have to say because they are in the minority. i`m not sure what they think we can do to iran. russia,china,and others in our trading partership would be throughly pissed if we disrupted the gas and oil out of iran. our economy would collapse and take years to recover

[trashcanistanista]

3. Coming up Hagel gets two hours.

Should be interesting.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

4. AAAkK Turned it on & lierberman is whining on my screen.

[muffin1]

15. Heard Joe Liermann

Talking that same shit to Wolf Blunder yesterday. Of course, Wolfie just ate it up...didn't really question him at all.:mad:

[TwilightGardener]

12. Two HOURS? Jesus, how could he have THAT much to say?

[partylessinOhio]

6. The democrats are joining them - Levin and Durbin just now.

Like sheeps being led to the slaughter. We need to end this war not expand it into another country.

Lieberman just mentioning "use of force" against Iran trying to soft peddle it but an idiot would get the gist of what he means.

I looked on the Senate site but cannot find a copy of the Lieberman amendment to find out what exactly it says.

[lyonn]

8. Wasn't Lieberman just perfect.(sarcasm) Hell, it was a vote for war

speech. Sounded like the IWR. Has everone lost their mind? They act like they have the never ending military............

Edit: and the absolute right to invade any country they feel threatens us. My head is spinning.

[lyonn]

5. Just turned it on in time to watch Lindsay Graham, Fantacy land speaking

He is up there spouting what will happen if we leave. The whole middle east will be winners and we will be loosers. It was pure doom, gloom and terror. I have low blood pressure but, lordy, palpitations have set in. The Insanity of all this Lieberman and Graham terror talk has me Livid.

Well, I have a solution. According to Linsay we need to stay the course in Iraq until it is a stable country and all the ME will also become peaceful, like Libya is now!

OK, if it is critical that we stay for years or decades in Iraq to make that safe, secure and democratic then let's institute a draft so that every American can participate in this hugh project.

Since the repubs don't want to give our troops a decent internal between combat duty it is apparent that we need Many More Troops. They need to put up or shut up.

There is no way our present military can continue at the pace they put through now. Damn Them!!!

Our troops are not laundry, wash, rinse and set out to dry and then when they get dirty repeat the procedure.

[partylessinOhio]

7. It becomes patently obvious why the Webb amendment was defeated.

The troops will get no rest when the invasion of Iran begins (if they get their way.)

[LittleClarkie]

9. Oh leave Reid alone.

Where would you have him be? Standing in front of the camera shouting "shut up shut up shut up" at the Repubs during the debate?

[lyonn]

11. At the moment I am not trashing the Dems on the floor, with a few

exceptions. The repubs have their alloted time to speak. It is what they are saying that is shocking. At the rate the repubs are going we should have a clean sweep in the next election. But, they have their right to demand 60 votes to pass anything and that's the law. What can we do but perform like Webb, Boxer and other did yesterday and keep hammering away and making them explain themselves. And boy are they explaining.

Since I tuned in late don't know what the Levin amendment is. Sorry

[partylessinOhio]

13. This is on the screen on C-Span 2:

Lieberman (I-CT) Amendment


Requires report by US government detailing Iran's part in equipping and funding terrorists in Iraq.


:wtf:

[lyonn]

14. Thanks, just now noticed

Iran is a problem but it seems so obvious why Lieberman wants the subject front and center, he has wanted Iraq and Iran blown off the map for years.

The word that keeps going through my mind as I am watching this is "Insane". The opposite is sorta like rational thinking, or intelligent, or giving thought to something. The repubs have totally lost me with their logic.

It's like if we don't know how to negotiate with another country we just bomb them... This stuff couldn't be made up for a high suspense movie. Who would even believe it?

Edit: Right, let's get a report on Iran. We can't even get one on Iraq. If we do it's full of crap (bs).

[tigereye]

10. and McCain is more and more off the deep end...

if the Reps are pressuring Bush to set a deadline to get out of Iraq, why in heall would they be talking about Iran?


Are they suggesting that we get the troops out of Iraq and then send them right over to Iran?


They are beyond belief. :banghead:

[bluedog]

17. they won't give troops a rest

from war.....our troops are worn out......perhaps they should get fresh bodies by installing the draft?.how else are we suppose to fight 3 wars?

[tigereye]

just when you think their irrationality can go no further, it does

It's incomprehensible... the voice of reason seems to be silent...

[tigereye]

24. just when you think their irrationality can go no further, it does

It's incomprehensible... the voice of reason seems to be silent...

[ClassWarrior]

16. Do you consider Feingold a wimp too?

Before you smear Sen. Reid, listen to what Russ had to say about him just a few short weeks ago:

http://www.wispolitics.com/1006/070629_Feingold.mp3

NGU.

[nealmhughes]

18. Yes, the usual suspects: Lieberman, Kyl, McCain and Graham.

Evidently, Iran is responsible for the drought in the SE and the high temps. in the West, are hand in glove with al Qaeda, the Taliban and probably the KKK and Global Warming Advocates, since these men of virtue have accused Iran of being behind everything but the JonBenet Ramsey murder and stashing the body of the girl on Aruba.

What a convenient memory we in the US have! Iran trains paramilitary for extralegal activity. Wow, you mean like the Bay of Pigs or the Eliot Abrams/Roberto D'Aubusson unholy alliance in El Salvador? You mean like the US training the Shah's SAVAK and arming Iraq during the Iraq-Iran War?

[trashcanistanista]

19. Iran is also responsible for the

wildfires in California, and 43 million Americans without health insurance.

[muffin1]

21. duh

obviously...bombing begins tomorrow...
Hey, I've been depressed lately...can I blame Iran for that?:P

[0007]

44. ......yeah and they told China to send us shitty tooth paste, I bet.

[lyonn]

20. Oh gawd nealmhughes, I needed that, tooo funny. nt

[TwilightGardener]

22. My Senator (Hagel) on now...

reporting on Nebraska Guard soldiers just coming back from 18-MONTH DEPLOYMENT!

[lyonn]

23. Hagel is on now and is laying it out there

How our military is stretch and tired, etc., with quotes from Generals backing his up. This is well worth listening to.

[TwilightGardener]

25. He did well--proud of him. Always just puts it out there without wasting words.

Webb up now...

[lyonn]

26. Two intelligent people at once. How refreshing.

Restores some of my faith in govt.

[TwilightGardener]

27. Yep--two old vets (and old friends) backing each other up, even

though they're on opposite sides of the aisle--nice to see. So sad their amendment got shot down today--I am very pissed about it. Hopefully the new amendment (Hagel-Levin) that they are discussing will come closer to passing--sounds like it covers some of the same territory RE troop deployment length.

[lyonn]

28. The first bill on the troop deployment time was a sure thing, I thought??

How could they vote that down? Now this one to make deployment time and home time equal will probably be voted down. What is wrong with these people. It will interesting to hear what the repubs have to say against this amendment. Lieberman will probably be the first one up to hack on it.

[Spearman87]

29. Bombing. Not invasion, bombing. Setting the stage for

an invasion is pointless without the troops to do it. And we don't have them. But don't be shocked if we attack some supposed terrorist training camps or IED-related equipment stocks.

Or even heaven-forbid, an all-out bombing of Iran's nuclear program related facilities. But I don't think we are stupid enough to go that far......

[TwilightGardener]

30. Kyl up, arguing against upcoming Hagel amendment--saying that

members of Congress can't "dictate" or micromanage deployment schedule. Hagel has said that the reason this is necessary is because we are fighting two lengthy wars with an all-volunteer force--has never been done before, need some new guidelines to keep from wrecking force structure. Kyl says Hagel amendment is "throwing down gauntlet" at Bush's feet, Senate telling him how to run war. Kyl is a grade-A ass.

[TwilightGardener]

31. Lady Lindsey arguing for his amendment now, counterpart to Hagel-Levin and Webb amendments--

This war is unpopular--he's blathering on--no visionary politics in Congress. Blah blah--micromanging, unconstitutional to impede President in deploying troops, just because polls show war in unpopular. His amendment says same thing almost as Hagel's but is OK because it's a suggestion, not mandate. Now he's off on tangent.

[lyonn]

32. Things have gone to Hell on the Senate floor - Inhofe speaking

How could Oklahomans do this to our country? We can't seem to vote that jerk out. I have tried.

[TwilightGardener]

33. Inhofe--Bush inherited military personnel crisis from Clinton.

Fucking liar, actually has a chart--it's all Clinton's fault that our military is broken--he tore down the military, now we're paying for it. Petraeus is God, everything's working in Iraq--blah blah, we are WINNING, it's a dramatic change over there! Still going on about the 90's and military cuts from Clinton, but Bush is helping build military back up--help is on the way! Jesus, he's totally scattershot--what the fuck is his POINT!

[lyonn]

35. Inhofe has got to be terribly jelous of Clinton, he can't get over him!

Like a spurned lover thingy.

[TwilightGardener]

34. Webb--no constitutional issues in Hagel amendment--perfectly appropriate--

Congress placed restrictions on Truman when troops sent in harm's way without training, so there is precedent. Amendment will not carry on to other wars--is only applicable to Iraq, won't affect future wars. Graham amendment only for political cover, only a sense of Congress, and basically asserts CURRENT/EXISTNG policy--why vote for it?

[TwilightGardener]

36. Hagel--points to Constitution--what is role of Congress in war--

Congress can make rules regarding land/sea wars, quoting Constitution. Hagel PISSED!

[TwilightGardener]

37. Calling roll--will vote on Hagel and Graham amendments...

[lyonn]

38. Seems like you and me are the only ones getting into this hearing

today. This is the most action and varied testimony about the war that we have seen in a long time. We really get to hear how they are thinking - or not thinking.

Wonder if there are any other opinion post of this?

[TwilightGardener]

39. Don't know--but looks like it will be a party-line vote--even Coleman voted no.

Oh well. Guess they're all going to vote for the meaningless Graham amendment.

[lyonn]

40. Did I hear that Cole voted yes?

Since I don't watch constantly I sometimes hear things wrong, but that would be nice if I heard correctly.

[TwilightGardener]

41. I may have missed it--can't tell you. This won't be as close as the Webb amendment--

defeated--52-45, withdrawn.

[lyonn]

42. Expletives!! Swell bunch

Would they have voted that way had 20 or so active military that had done double duty in Iraq been in the audience?

[TwilightGardener]

43. Nope-- bunch of assholes--watch them all vote for the Graham "political cover"

amendment though.

[lyonn]

45. Hey, hey, this one may go Down. nt

[TwilightGardener]

46. Yep, I'm on it on GD thread.

[lyonn]

47. This vote was more important than the amend. to get report on Iran

This seemed to be a sneaky way to make new rules without really looking like that was happening. Kinda like the abortion issues that go before the Supreme Court where they are slowing working their way towards abolishing abortions.

The idea of not allowing two consecutive "15" month tours is not doing the troops any favors. One 15 month tour is too long.