February 3, 2007

THANKS, MAVERICK:

Republicans Plan to Block Iraq Debate (CARL HULSE, 2/03/07, NY Times)

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, said Friday that his party would unite to block Senate debate next week on a bipartisan resolution opposing President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq unless the Democrats allowed votes on at least two Republican alternatives.

Mr. McConnell said even Senator John W. Warner, the Virginia Republican who is the chief author of the bipartisan proposal, and other Republicans backing his plan had agreed to prevent the resolution from reaching the floor Monday if Democrats did not agree to that demand.

"We're in a position to insist on a procedure for considering these matters that we think is fair to us," said Mr. McConnell, who has been negotiating the framework of the debate with Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader. "We can't dictate the outcome necessarily, but we're insistent upon a process that we are comfortable with."


Good thing John McCain preserved the filibuster...

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 3, 2007 11:20 AM
Comments

McCain preserved the filibuster against judges, not regular legislation such as this.
McCain took a good week or so to figure out that supporting the resolution would be the deathknell of his '08 campaign. His first instinct was to cut a deal with the Dems.

Posted by: AWW at February 3, 2007 12:32 PM

Fair enough point, OJ, particularly since I agreed with you on the "Gang of 14" Deal.

However, it is only a matter of time before one party or another breaks the filibuster by using a "nuclear option" (and then lives to regret it).

It is a card both parties can play, and one party or another will play it when they view the stakes as high enough.

Posted by: Bruno at February 3, 2007 12:33 PM

Any Congressional action that comes out of this will resemble McCain's "benchmarks" proposal. Bush will deem it unobjectionable.

Posted by: ghostcat at February 3, 2007 1:28 PM

They aren't voting against this because they are bad resolutions, but because they are not being debated. So from the way I read this, the only way to unite the Stupid Party is to deny them something they truly care about, which is their ability to yammer endlessly before agreeding to a "bipartisan comprimise" that is mostly an appeasement of the Dems.

Just another example that all Keating-McCain cares about is winning the Presidency, he has no idea what he'll do with it, other than spend four years keeping his popularity numbers up so it will appear he can run again.

Posted by: Raoul Ortega at February 3, 2007 1:36 PM

Yes and yes.

Posted by: erp at February 3, 2007 2:05 PM

They have to get rid of it--it's anti-constitutional.

Posted by: oj at February 3, 2007 3:08 PM
« NOTHING BUT REACTION TO FALL BACK ON (via Tom Morin): | Main | SPEAKING OF DOUBLING DOWN: »