Senate Showdown Soap Opera Slumps

The Skinny: The Senate's Day Of Posturing, Finger-Pointing And Wrangling Ends Unresolved

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It was a "day of posturing, finger-pointing and backroom wrangling" that resulted in the resolution of … nothing.

Yes, it was just another dramatic Monday in the Senate.

Unfortunately, for many a C-SPAN watcher, yesterday's "long-awaited Senate showdown," over a nonbinding resolution opposing President Bush's troop increase in Iraq, as the Washington Post described it, was over before it started. Leaders on both sides of the aisle could not agree on which nonbinding resolutions would be debated and voted upon.

"Democrats needed 60 votes to begin debating the resolution opposing the troop increase but could muster only 49. All three Republican co-sponsors of the resolution opposed it in the 49-47 vote," explains USA Today.

And in traditionally mature Congressional behavior, the impasse "left each party blaming the other" for the situation, writes the New York Times.

Sound bite of the day came from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: "You can run, but you can't hide," he said. "We are going to debate Iraq."

His speechwriter will get cupcakes this afternoon, since every major paper picked up that quote.

Fear not, this doesn't mean the saga is over, as "Senate leaders indicated that they would continue to negotiate over ways to restart the debate," writes the NYT.

Yee Haw. A Budget Showdown.

And another saga may yet be beginning.

Indeed, "no amount of optimism is expected to head off what is likely to be a continuing series of conflicts in coming months between the White House and lawmakers" on all kinds of elements included in the President's $2.9 trillion budget.

The big "flash points" between the branches, according to the Wall Street Journal -- taxes and the war in Iraq.

Bush wants to balance the budget without raising taxes, and wants to extend existing tax cuts. Democrats want to scale them back.

As for Iraq, the budget calls for increased Defense spending, including for the Iraq war. House Armed Services Committee Chair Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) "a strong ally of the military," called the request for defense "staggering," writes the Journal.

The Post notes that the budget plan also indicated that Bush "would attempt to squeeze spending on health care, education, housing and other domestic programs important to the Democratic majority for the duration of his term."

Predictably, "the sharp divide seemed to shatter the spirit of bipartisanship that both parties had cultivated since the Democrats captured control of Congress in November's elections," writes the LA Times.

Nonetheless, the New York Times explains that if all Bush's budget proposals are agreed upon, his "economic assumptions panned out," and the cost of the war was reduced "and then went away in coming years," the budget would indeed reduce the deficit from $244 billion this year to $239 billion next year. By 2012, there would be a $61 billion surplus.

The Trials Of Young Type-A Personalities

As the L.A. Times' front page takes a peek at the "be-all and end-all" entrance exam game that accompanies admission to some of California's private middle and high schools (yes, that is as scary as it sounds,) the Washington Post has a different perspective.

It's a look at how a few D.C. area schools are attempting to thwart stress-induced coronaries among their students.

Yes, even in the "advanced placement-fueled arms race," parents are urging students to "to take honors instead of AP courses, instituting homework-free weekends and changing class schedules to give students time to breathe and regroup between subjects."

One school offers yoga.

That's because, as one high school junior put it: "It's like our educational system is eating us alive."

New approaches to reducing that stress are designed to "change the atmosphere so that people understand it's better to have a well-balanced student going to a 'good fit' college, as opposed to a neurotic going to an Ivy League school," said one school counselor.

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[bluestardad]

American Soldiers do not fight for anything but American interest! not Saudia Arabia or Israel or anyone else. America has paid for 50 years of middle east policy with blood, money, and tears. These animals do not want to change and no one can make them be civilized. Pull out and let them kill each other or make them all a field of glass!

[bluestardad]

Bush Gave Bremer a medal!

L. Paul Bremer III, who was head of the Coalition Provisional Authority,was given 363 tons of cash that was loaded onto airplanes and sent into the war zone in 2003, adding that U.S. officials had "no way of knowing whether the cash would wind up in enemy hands." Can you believe this? Tons of money stacked on wooden platforms! Still they don't know where billions of dollars went?

Bush gave this idiot a medal!

[dallison7]

IF IT WAS OK FOR DEMOCRATS TO FILIBUSTER EVERYTHING FOR THE LAST SIX YEARS, THEN IT'S OK FOR REPUBLICANS TO ACT LIKE DEMOCRATS AND DO THE SAME.


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Posted by processor2

This has to do with the congress doing the will of the people pertaining to a WAR!! If you can't see the difference in stonewalling for the sake of hiding the administration's crimes and bickering over federal judge appointments you should probably spend your time at www.barbie.com

[processor2]

I FIND IT IRONICALLY AMUSING THAT DEMOCRATS GET UPSET WHEN REPUBLICANS ACT LIKE DEMOCRATS.


IF IT WAS OK FOR DEMOCRATS TO FILIBUSTER EVERYTHING FOR THE LAST SIX YEARS, THEN IT'S OK FOR REPUBLICANS TO ACT LIKE DEMOCRATS AND DO THE SAME.


........

[observantx]

It was a "day of posturing, finger-pointing and backroom wrangling" that resulted in the resolution of %u2026 nothing.

So here we are.

The Repugnicans can%u2019t put the Kool Aid down. They want to fiddle while Iraq burns and our more of our soldiers get shipped home in a box in the dead of night.

These men and women have no interest in carrying out the will of the majority of the voters. As such, they should be subject to recall elections.

These obstructers are guaranteed to go down in flames in 2008.

[rharrin1]

The actions and their voting will get rid of these republican rubber stampers in 2008.

bush was surprised by the results in 2006 can't wait to see his face when 2008 results come in.

[ioweign]

How did Coleman(R) of Minnesota vote on this?

It is like the vote in November 06 didn't get through to some of these jerks!

[mattcat25]

Troop resurgence levels (to that of 2005) isn't a plan to settle the long conflict between Sunni Arabs and Shiite Arabs. If the US Military Commanders need an increase of personal they should've just done this without the fanfare from the Whitehouse as "a plan for victory". 150-160 thousand troops aren%u2019t enough to secure the entire country of Iraq. 250, 000 troops are what has been needed to secure the majority of the country, but would not guarantee emboldened rebel forces on the outskirts and outside the borders of Iraq.

The Troop surge and escalation of conflict is only a plan to secure a small area of Baghdad and Anwar. Bush is gambling (again) on that he will be able to show some progress of specific clean areas of Iraq but is not addressing the overall vast areas of the country and outside the borders.

Diplomatic solutions, negotiations, and efforts in earnest are the only real answer to solving this situation that was created by the Bush Administration.

[bluestardad]

Truth will come out!

Founded in 1953 by Isaiah L. "Si" Kenen, AIPAC's original name was the American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs. According to UCLA political science professor and author, Steven Spiegel, "the tension between the Eisenhower administration and Israeli supporters was so acute that there were rumors (unfounded as it turned out) that the administration would investigate the American Zionist Council. Therefore, an independent lobbying committee was formed, which years later was renamed [AIPAC]." [SPIEGEL, p. 52].[citation needed] Today, AIPAC has over 100,000 members.[1]
Activities and stated goals
AIPAC's stated purpose is to lobby the Congress of the United States on issues and legislation "to ensure that the U.S.-Israel relationship is strong so that both countries can work together" to meet the challenges of "stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, fighting terrorism and achieving peace".[2] It regularly meets with members of Congress and holds events where it can share its views. It also provides analysis of the voting records of U.S. federal representatives and senators with regard to how they voted on legislation related to Israel. AIPAC has been effective in gaining support for Israel among members of Congress and White House administrations.
The New York Times described AIPAC on July 6, 1987 as "a major force in shaping United States policy in the Middle East."