Wild About Harry
Ed Morrisey points out that Harry Reid tried a bluff and it failed. So badly, in fact, that Harry took most of the "all night" debate off and slept through it. Mitch McConnell was a lot smarter than Harry and called the bluff. Reid looks like a fool this morning.
Here's what Reid wanted. He knew that he didn't have enough votes for a quorum; he only has 49 Democrats available, with Tim Johnson's disability. Reid counted on Republicans forcing an end to the session by having a single member present to challenge for a quorum. No votes could take place without one, including the instruction motion to the Sergeant-at-Arms to arrest recalcitrant members and drag them back to the chamber. That would have allowed Reid and the Democrats to accuse Republicans of dodging the debate, calling them cowards to take the spotlight off of their insistence on retreat.
Many expected the Republicans to do just that, but it turns out that Mitch McConnell is a little smarter than Harry Reid. Instead of denying Reid a quorum, the Republicans showed up for the debate, perhaps charged up by John McCain's earlier speech on the floor. Once Reid figured out that the Republicans would not give him the satisfaction of walking out the door, he caved. In fact, Reid didn't even bother to attend his own No Snooze Until We Lose party after the first instruction motion, choosing to hit the sack instead while Republicans took the podium all night long.
I still stand by my predictions that Harry Reid's tenure as Majority Leader will come to be reviled by the party rank and file.
By FedUp, July 18, 2007 @ 7:18 am
Just goes to show ya that we’ve got dinosaurs who have outlived their usefullness and think that they can dictate their wishes to all. This should be a wakeup call to both parties, but it won’t! Term limits would bring an end to the dinosaurs and perhaps get clearer thinking people in Congress… a forlorn hope, I’m sure…
By Neo, July 18, 2007 @ 7:46 am
SEC. 1535. REDUCTION AND TRANSITION OF UNITED STATES FORCES IN IRAQ.
(a) Deadline for Commencement of Reduction.–The Secretary of Defense shall commence the reduction of the number of United States forces in Iraq not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(b) Implementation of Reduction as Part of Comprehensive Strategy.–The reduction of forces required by this section shall be implemented as part of a comprehensive diplomatic, political, and economic strategy that includes sustained engagement with Iraq’s neighbors and the international community for the purpose of working collectively to bring stability to Iraq. As part of this effort, the President shall direct the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations to use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States at the United Nations to seek the appointment of an international mediator in Iraq, under the auspices of the United Nations Security Council, who has the authority of the international community to engage political, religious, ethnic, and tribal leaders in Iraq in an inclusive political process.
(c) Limited Presence After Reduction and Transition.–After the conclusion of the reduction and transition of United States forces to a limited presence as required by this section, the Secretary of Defense may deploy or maintain members of the Armed Forces in Iraq only for the following missions:
(1) Protecting United States and Coalition personnel and infrastructure.
(2) Training, equipping, and providing logistic support to the Iraqi Security Forces.
(3) Engaging in targeted counterterrorism operations against al Qaeda, al Qaeda affiliated groups, and other international terrorist organizations.
(d) Completion of Transition.–The Secretary of Defense shall complete the transition of United States forces to a limited presence and missions as described in subsection (c) by April 30, 2008.
The real rub here is section (b). Obviously, Congress is trying to thread on Executive branch territory.
Beyond that, Bush could simply send more troops to Iraq prior to the 120 day date and then pull them out before April 30, 2008 to comply, as sections (c), (1), (2) and (3) are pretty much what is going on now.
By Mwalimu Daudi, July 18, 2007 @ 11:31 pm
[I]t turns out that Mitch McConnell is a little smarter than Harry Reid.
Frankly, that’s not much of a comparison. There are more brains to be found in a month-old head of lettuce than in Dirty Harry’s noggin. Still, it is galling that the GOP had to lose last year’s elections before learning that it is possible to say “No” to a Democrat - and live.