Sen. Obama takes a walk

[Ethelk2044]

LYNN SWEET [e-mail]
WASHINGTON -- White House hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) canceled his campaign schedule on Thursday in order to be in the Senate for votes. But he was one of only three senators -- of either party -- to take a walk and not vote yes or no on a GOP measure to condemn an ad Moveon.org ran in the New York Times against Gen. David Petraeus.
Obama said he did not vote because: "This amendment was a stunt designed only to score cheap political points while what we should be doing is focusing on the deadly serious challenge we face in Iraq.... By not casting a vote, I registered my protest against this empty politics. I registered my views on the ad itself the day it appeared."

While the GOP-authored measure was engineered to drive a wedge between Democrats -- making a choice between a politically influential left-wing anti-war group and backing a decorated general -- Democratic presidential rivals Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Chris Dodd did take a position; they voted no.

The measure, sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), passed 72-25. Also not voting: White House contender Sen. Joe Biden and Sen. Maria Cantwell.

However, Obama did vote on a Democratic measure by Barbara Boxer intended to provide political cover for Democrats. Boxer's amendment reaffirmed support for all U.S. military personnel and condemned attacks on the patriotism of any soldier. The Boxer amendment failed. Cornyn's measure said it was a "sense of the Senate that General David H. Petraeus, Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq, deserves the full support of the Senate" and strongly condemned "personal attacks on the honor and integrity of General Petraeus and all members of the United States Armed Forces."

http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/568045,CST-NWS-sweet21.article

[DURHAM D]

1. I didn't think his Cover My Ass

comment would work well for him.

[Ethelk2044]

2. He did what the others should have done. They were stupid to fall for repugs tactics.

AGAIN.

[Tellurian]

3. Obama doesn't take the US Senate seriously...

He voted "present" as he would in a College class roll call.

Most likely he would have voted "present" on the Iraq Vote as well...

[Ethelk2044]

4. He takes it very seriously. He does not give the repugs tactics a serious

consideration. They should have been voting about Iraq issues. Because the dems did not have the courage to attach the Iraq war pull out to it. It was stupid. They should never give the repugs the hand to fan with. They do it time and time again. They need to be stronger and do not allow them to bring these tactics up for votes. The dems need to be smarter.

[DURHAM D]

5. Actually he didn't vote Present.

Obama (and Dodd) - Not Voting.

All of these people who are trying to make something of Obama's dodge are pathetic. They want to make it into some sort of high minded protest. They keep saying all of the Dems should have left the building in protest, suggesting that only Obama has the moral high ground here. No one has suggested that Obama tried to organize a walkout among fellow Dems, causing their moralizing to fall even flatter.

Note to Obama supporters - it is really, really tough to find cover for a missed vote when the reason is a campaign appearance in Georgia.

Frankly, I am afraid that his choice of campaigning over voting is a failure of character; especially since stories have surfaced that this was his MO in Illinois state legislature.


Correction to post - Dodd voted - Biden did not.

[Ethelk2044]

6. As usual wrong. He did not vote present. Bullshit post do research before post.

[Tellurian]

19. yeah, so why has Obama been absent on important issues like Jena 6?

besides the AARP Forum and the Move-On vote?

What about the Jena 6? Why is Obama AWOL on this issue? Reverend Jesse Jackson, frustrated with Obama, did an impolitic thing and told the truth as if to wake Obama:

“If I were a candidate, I’d be all over Jena,” the prominent civil rights activist said Tuesday in Columbia, South Carolina, the The State newspaper reports. “Jena is a defining moment, just like Selma was a defining moment.”

Hillary understood. On the high profile Al Sharpton radio show she said:

"People need to understand that we cannot let this kind of inequality and injustice happen anywhere in America,” the Democratic presidential hopeful told Rev. Al Sharpton when she called into his nationally syndicated radio program Tuesday afternoon.

The New York senator said she has put a request into the Bush administration to ask the Civil Rights division of the Justice Department to investigate the case because, “we have a responsibility to confront racial injustice and intolerance anywhere.” She said she did so because she was troubled by reports that the youths were charged and sentenced in a manner that may have been inconsistent with what was called for.

Hillary was also at the NAACP convention in South Carolina with a civil rights plan and to talk about the Jena 6 on September 16, 2007.

Why has Obama been AWOL? How can you promise to bring people together when you're a NO SHOW?

[Tellurian]

23. Reverend Jackson is not the only Obama supporter upset with Obama on the Jena 6 issue:

A letter from a somewhat ambivalent Obama supporter on his site:

"Lisa from Saint Charles, MO - I am appalled that Obama (who I have intented to vote for until recently because of this issue) has not responded more publicly about the Jena 6 situation. I can’t imagine what is preventing him from addressing this matter. I shudder to think that he feels it may negatively effect his Presidential campaign. Even President Bush - who ordinarily shows no heart or soul whatsoever - has condemmed the actions of the individuals involved and the legal system’s fallibilities. I sincerely hope that Obama changes his tune, and quickly. He needs to be a voice of moral authority on this issue. Leaving such things in the hands of Rev. Jesse Jackson & Al Sharpton is simply irresponsible. If he chooses not to speak up on this issue soon and LOUDLY, I will be forced to choose another candidate to support in the Presidential primary. GO TO JENA, BARACK. GO TO JENA, NOW!"

[ncabot22]

28. He's not been silent on this issue

According to this link, he was the first presidential candidate to speak out publicly about the Jena 6. You have to scroll down a bit, but it is there.

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/page/page/1307246.htm

[Silence Dogood]

37. exactly, after that, no one has seen him for dust-

I'm calling for a refund of my donation. The guy is just as many said; not ready for prime time.

[gateley]

48. Excellent strategy on Hillary's part to call Sharpton's radio show. Wish my

candidate would have done that.

(I'm not implying that she's insincere, by the way.)

[Bucky]

7. You are not the first person to underestimate his ass

Wait, that didn't sound right.

[William769]

8. Takes a walk from voting, from going to debates,

But he'll damn sure run to a fundraiser!

[Ethelk2044]

10. He has the smarts enough to not to fall for repugs tactics unlike some

[William769]

11. The polls say otherwise.

But then again he used to being a follower.

[Ethelk2044]

12. you keep talking about General election polls. Those do not count.

He is doing well state by state.

[William769]

16. I am talking State by State polls

And she is doing great!

[Silence Dogood]

38. Where? Show me where he's doing well state by state.

Why mislead people into throwing good money after bad.

[DURHAM D]

13. Do you even believe the stuff you are saying?

Keep this up and you will be a pretzel by next January.

Sometimes our candidates just screw up. It will be easier for you if you acknowledge the mistake and let it go. We have a long ways to go.

[FlaxieB]

15. That vote was stupid and a waste of time

Obama was the only one with common sense not to get involved with this Republican's ploy to discredit the Dems. Moveon.org criticize a commanding General, so what? Anyone with common sense could seen that stalled roadblock by the Repubs to avoid the real issues of this country and point the finger at the Dems to called them unpatriotic. The democrats who voted on this displays the lack of judgment and common sense needed to run this country. Obama did the right thing: identify it as bullshit and walk away. Too bad your candidate doesn't have the common sense or forward vision to do so. Remember the Iraq vote?:crazy:

[DURHAM D]

17. Watching Obama supporters trying to dig this one out

is really getting painful to watch. He made a mistake - let it go.

[zulchzulu]

21. Watching Clinton supporters try to make an issue out of an asshat Cornyn measure...

...shows just how blinded they are to what matters in this country.

Pass my thanks to your candidate for pimping Bush's war at our expense. That's $4000 a second of money spent and countless lives lost. With that kind of judgment and experience, perhaps an apology is too forgone anyway.

Pathetic poppycock from the Hillbots...

[DURHAM D]

24. Have no idea who your candidate is -

but your anger is going to eat you alive.

[zulchzulu]

32. Supporting a pro-war candidate who now says she's against the very war she voted for...

...is enough reason to wonder if some people have their wits about them.

[Silence Dogood]

39. Obama's campaign is wrapping up

why do you continue to pretend. It's over for him. If he knows it; why don't you.
He's cutting his losses and into damage control mode. Wake up!

[zulchzulu]

44. Wait until you see the contribution numbers this quarter

Watch and learn, junior.

[MODemocrat]

29. ZZ. I feel your pain, hating someone hurts you; not them

But calling names is so juvenile: "Pathetic poppcock from the Hillbots...." That's just plain silly.:think: :shrug:

[zulchzulu]

31. Heh

After you deal with mosquitos, you learn to swat back.

[TankLV]

9. "honor and integrity of General Petraeus"?!?!?!?!!!!!

THE FUCKING LIAR HAS NO "HONOR" OR "INTEGRITY"!!!

Godfuckingdammit!!!

I am so fucking sick and tired of this "the military can do no wrong" mindset.

The "military" is the reason we're in this fucking mess to begin with!!!

I AM FUCKING SICK AND TIRED OF IT!!!

[Ethelk2044]

14. Bush is the reason along with those who voted to authorize the war. Take it out on Those who voted

to allow Bush to go to war, by getting them out of office.

[lips]

18. I support the soldiers.

General Patreus is NOT a soldier. I'm sorry pushing little battalions of tanks and men across a map sitting on a desk does not qualify someone as being a soldier. For all intents and purposes this is the perfect example of the school janitor being told to fix the screen at the lunch window, because the admins are too lazy to actually enforce the rules and keep kids from continually breaking it.

He has been painted with the blame of the failed surge, that was supposed to remedy a failed government, that was supposed to remedy a failed security, that was supposed to remedy a failed insurgency, etcetera.

[zulchzulu]

20. The Move On measure was an insult to our troops and the American people

Why on Earth is the GOP railroading important time and tax dollars in the Senate for meaningless pandering and chest-beating on some ad that frankly wasn't even that original.

How much money and time did it cost for this GOP-driven drivel? Playing schoolyard games with a crooked stick on the bully's terms is not something the Senate should be wasting time on.

Cornyn is an asshat. When he proposed this measure, everyone should have laughed him out of the hall. Instead, they played right into his smarmy hands.

Not voting for Cornyn's masturbatory panderfest is the most sane solution.

[frogcycle]

27. the dems should have filibustered it

[zulchzulu]

33. Why even waste time filibustering an asshat measure from an asshat Repug?

That gives credence and meaning to the measure.

I would have asked the rest of the Senate to work on more important needed matters...like reversing the anti-habeus corpus traitors' decision. That would be a lot more meaningful for our country than putzing around about some ad that clearly didn't fulfill its misson anyway.

Why give the GOP ammunition?

[frogcycle]

35. all they had to do was threaten, call a cloture vote

and kill it

of course enough of them voted FOR it to cut off debate. so its moot

they joined the assholes on this one

[illinoisprogressive]

22. Again Obama shows sense, judgment and leadership in not caving to the repukes games

[Clintonista2]

25. Honest question: Why didn't Obama say he was going to walk out BEFORE the vote?

I could understand his position if, before the vote, he came out and said "this is not worth my time, I'm not going to vote on this." The fact that he waited until after the vote to say anything about it, comes off to me as if he wanted to have it both ways.

[Silence Dogood]

40. Obama has been labeled a coward afraid to take a stand

Free speech and dissent are 1st Amendment Rights. If Obama doesn't stand up for that, he stands for nothing.

[Ethelk2044]

47. Obama and Biden were the only ones who had courage to stand up against the repugs

The others fell for the repugs tactics again just like they did with the Iraq vote.

[Forkboy]

26. Am the only one who has no problem with his not voting or someone who voted no?

Either one works for me.

This looks like another example of there not being any major differences between the two of them to talk about. :shrug:

[beaconess]

30. The Democratic circular firing squad never takes a break.

Instead of focusing on how we're going to beat the Republicans, people are wasting their time in here arguing about whether a candidate should waste their time voting or waste their time voting no - both of which have the exact same result - on a bullshit measure cooked up by the Republicans to instigate just this kind of reaction among Democrats.

I don't give a flying fig whether a Democrat voted no or didn't vote - as long as they didn't vote YES.

[AtomicKitten]

34. neither do they

Obama did the right thing and precisely what I would want him to do: Tell the GOP to piss off. This is just a half-baked cudgel to bash Obama, but I must say the faux outrage as if he voted "yes" or something is downright spectacular!

[Silence Dogood]

41. Your pom-poms are on fire

instead of your pants!

[killbotfactory]

36. I agree completely

We might as well be arguing over a senate resolution calling puppies adorable. It's completely meaningless, any vote besides yes is a good one.

[jefferson_dem]

42. Edwards takes the same position as Obama.

EDWARDS --
"I respect and honor General Petraeus' service, but I would have opposed the Cornyn amendment as an irresponsible waste of time -- the Senate should be working on ending the war, not dithering over newspaper ads."

http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2007/09/edwards_i_would_have_voted_against_resolution_condemning_moveon.php#comments


OBAMA --
"I happen to believe that General Petraeus has served this country honorably. And I think it probably was a distraction to try to attack him as opposed to George Bush's policies," Obama said.

But the Illinois senator said he couldn't tolerate "the notion that at a time when we know young men and women are dying, and veterans are not being served right here at home.... We're wasting time debating about a newspaper ad."

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/news/stories/2007/09/20/obama_0921.html

[Adelante]

43. I commend Senator Obama

The entire Democratic caucus should have walked on Cornyn. Voting No on Cornyn is second best, but very best would have been no vote on the piece of shit. At. All.

[cascadiance]

45. Sigh... Come back Clinton and Obama supporters when you BOTH champion public campaign financing...

... to get us off the corporate hog power that buys and runs everything.

At this point, issues like these are meant to distract and divide us from their creeping stranglehold of us in their quest for fascist power.

[LittleClarkie]

46. Problem?

I didn't see one with his choice.