Sen. Gordon Smith (R- OR) endorses Levin-Reed!!!

[stlsaxman]

Just saw this on c-span 2... Levin-Reid calls for a timetable to withdraw troops from Iraq.

Smith also vote YEA on Restoration of habeas corpus!

This guy's one of the good ones! (edited for corrected veiwpoint- no, he's not, evidently!

[TheUniverse]

1. We are supposed to thank a senator for finally seeing the truth several years late?

Is this the low standard we place on them?

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

2. I don't want to burst your bubble, but gordo puke puke

is a heavy repug in a blue, blue state. His job (hopefully) is hanging by a thread & he knows it. He'll throw just enough bones our way to keep him in office, then he'll go back to backing the repugs 100%. Or at least 95% which is his past voting record.

[swag]

3. I understand the excitement, but I can't wait to vote him out of office.

He is just posturing. He votes with Bush 90% of the time. He only votes against Bush when whatever measure it is is sure to lose. He only turned against the war after the 2006 Congressional elections woke him up to the fact that his seat would be in jeopardy in 2008. He is a terrible Senator and Oregonians are going to throw him out in 2008.

[sandnsea]

4. It's Levin-Reed, and Smith is desperate

because he knows we're going to throw his ass out. We won't get fooled again.

[Blue Belle]

5. Smith is NOT one of the good ones....

He is just trying to appeal to the blue state values of Oregon because his party is split on the state level in terms of supporting his re-election. The Republicans are talking about running another candidate against him, and the Dems can't wait to vote him out of office. Believe me, he doesn't give two shits about the troops... this move was motivated by the 2008 election. If this were any other year he'd be voting en block with the rest of the brown shirts.

[stlsaxman]

8. thanks Blue Belle

pardon my over-enthusiastic take on this by calling him a "good one".

I stand corrected.

:hi:

[Blue Belle]

14. No problem...

I like seeing republicans come over to our side... but I've lived in Oregon long enough to see that this is just a dog and pony show. He probably knew the Dems didn't have the votes to pass these bills anyway. I can't wait to vote this bastard out of office.

[L. Coyote]

6. NO, he is one of the BAD guys up for re-election in a BLUE state! Big difference

And he is going down with the other Bush supporters.

[stlsaxman]

7. Thanks for clarifying things, y'all...

It's just surprising to hear of a R from ANYWHERE supporting troop withdrawal.

[TwilightGardener]

9. He supported Levin Reed the last time. No change. But I agree,

I think he and Hagel are both good guys (both voted for habeas corpus too), but I am in the minority on DU, because I applaud Repubs that vote with us, even if it's out of political necessity. When I say kind things about R's, I am usually confronted with voting records and reminders that these people are actually Satan.

[stlsaxman]

10. Watching his statement on the floor of the Senate he seemed sincere....

but i can be easily gulled into some things.

[TwilightGardener]

11. He is sincere. Don't let people convince you otherwise. He's not

going to pull a Warner--he's been very consistent in his war votes, and for me, that's where the beef is. Take those votes at face value, and appreciate his contribution to end the war. If we continue to bash those Repubs who stand up to their party, then what is their incentive to go against the tide? It's a lonely place to be--they make neither Repubs or Dems happy. They do not automatically get rewarded at re-election time.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

13. Gordo can sound quite moderate when he wants.

When Baghdad fell, gordo called a presser & said that he was "so glad that President Bush didn't listen to the Washington Post, the New York Times or Hollywood".

Since then he's made repeated references to how well it's going in Iraq. "We're making progress", "when the Iraqis stand up...", blah, blah, blah.

After the '06 elections, he tells us some BS about how in June (June, mind you) he started reading Fiasco. It wasn't until after the Nov elections that it suddenly hit him that Iraq is a mess.

All I can say is that he must be one fucking slow reader.

Sorry that I'm not buying it. If the repubs had held their majority & if Oregon hadn't gone all blue, gordo would be singing right along with dumbya.

Gordo can sound quite moderate, but he's redder than a beet.

[grasswire]

12. he's not one of the "good" ones

He's just caving to pressure from his constituency.

If more Americans would pressure their REPUBLICAN congresscritters, we might get some movement on the issues we care about. We don't have enough votes without them.

I promised Gordon Smith that if he continued to align with Bush policies, I would work against him in 2008. I'm still going to work against him.