GOP playing with Defense spending bill

[Mass]

By blocking all operations on the senate floor by forcing the Senate clerks to read Sanders's amendment, the GOP is delaying the cloture motion for the Defense spending bill, that funds the troops and expires Friday. So much for caring about the troops.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_12/021486.php

And here's why it matters: the Senate leadership planned to file cloture on a Defense spending bill today, because existing troop funding expires Friday night. Coburn's little stunt will cause delays that will push off the vote on the Pentagon spending bill, possibly to Saturday.

In an emailed statement, Harry Reid spokesperson Jim Manley said, "The only thing that Sen. Coburn's stunt achieves is to stop us from moving to the DoD appropriations bill that funds our troops -- not exactly the kind of Christmas gift that our troops were expecting from Dr. No."

[Clio the Leo]

1. Owww. This is making my HEAD HURT NT

[Mass]

3. Right out of Gregg's obstruction manual. And it has the added advantage to make the Dems look bad.

After all, they will not have voted the Defense bill.

This said, it is difficult to understand why they are not on the media explaining what is happening (at least, I guess they are not, because I do not read anything here). This is irresponsible.

[Phx_Dem]

2. They never fail to make themselves look bad. But frankly,

Sanders' single payer amendment is what allowed them to do this. Why did he introduce a 700+ page amendment that doesn't have a snow ball's chance in hell of passing. He may as well have introduced an amendment to legalize crack cocaine.

I'm not blaming Sanders for the GOP's obscenely-stupid "troop-hating" move, but it sounds like a huge waste of time to introduce an amendment for 'just for show' when we're trying to get some important things passed.

[Mass]

4. I disagree. This amendment should have been on the table a long time ago.

And Coburn would have done the same thing on any other amendment that was brought. His previous request was an UC for an amendment certifying that all senators UNDERSTOOD the bill.

[Parker CA]

5. Stay classy, GOP.