Unbelievable. An energy bill amendment sponsored by John McCain and Joe Lieberman went down in flames: 60-38. The amendment would have required that within 5 years, greenhouse gas emissions must be brought down to their 2000 level and kept there.
As the AP put it:
Supporters managed to get five fewer votes than they did two years ago.
...
It was a victory for President Bush's policies that focus on voluntary actions by industry to address the problem.
It gets worse. (flip...)
Was this a hard party line vote where a few weasely Democrats crossed to vote for the Republicans?
No.
Six Republicans voted for the amendment. They deserve to have their names listed:
Lincoln Chafee (RI)
Susan Collins (ME)
Judd Gregg (NH)
Dick Lugar (IN)
John McCain (AZ)
Olympia Snowe (ME)
That means that eleven Democrats voted against and two didn't vote! They too deserve to be named:
Voting no
Max Baucus (MT)
Barbara Boxer (CA)
Robert Byrd (WV)
Mark Dayton (MN)
Russ Feingold (WI)
Tom Harkin (IA)
Mary Landrieu (LA)
Carl Levin (MI)
Blanche Lincoln (AK)
Ben Nelson (NE)
Mark Pryor (AK)
Not voting
Kent Conrad (ND)
Brian Dorgan (ND)
What's suprising is that some of those Democrats who opposed this essential measure are some of the more reliable liberal Dems, esp. Boxer, Harkin, Feingold. I presume this is one of those issues where the state you're from and its economy make all the difference.
Still, I think the future of life on earth is sufficiently fucking important that I don't think we should give them any leeway on this matter. So a big F.U. to Democrats who went against their party's (and often their own) principles in order to take a bold stand in favor of Bush's policy of voluntary industrial controls.