Whoa -- hot off the presses, this is just fantastic. A gaggle of senators -- Reed, Kerry, Whitehouse, and Murray -- were accompanied by two members of the fabulous organization votevets.org -- Jon Stolz and Andrew Horne. This is what "Fighting Dems" mean, and this is exactly the kind of muscled message we should be putting out there to smackdown the absolutely pathetic Republicans who are too wimpy to even debate a lousy non-binding resolution.
The Senators got things warmed up on how the Republicans are defying the will of the American people or protecting our troops:
Senator Reed:
"This administration has tried to run a serious war on the cheap. They have tried gimmicks. They have hidden costs. Republicans should end their filibuster and engage in a meaningful debate about this administration's Iraq policy."
Senator Kerry:
"This administration wants to ship another 21,000 troops into the middle of Iraq's bloody civil war even though they've never properly equipped the troops that are already over there ... Our military deserves more."
Senator Murray:
"We've got a lot of work to do to meet the needs of the veterans this war has created and a surge would only make it worse."
Senator Whitehouse:
"Let's be clear: the President's plan to escalate the war in Iraq is wrong for Iraq and wrong for America. I'm here with my colleagues and these brave veterans today to say that we will not be silenced. If the President refuses to offer the new direction in Iraq that Rhode Islanders and millions of Americans have called for, we must step forward and lead where he will not."
Excellent, senators!! But I gotta say, there isn't a group with more credibility to this current debate than the actual veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who have continued their patriotic duty of serving to speak up against the foolhardy policies of the Bush administration, and to stick it to the Republican's dishonest antics in the Senate.
Jon Stolz, votevets.org:
"Many of those Senators in recent weeks said they were against escalation. Well, talk is cheap, and you don't support our troops with lip service. In the debate on the Iraq war and an escalation, there are only two sides -- with the troops or with the President. You cannot have it both ways. Those Senators whohave voted against the troops are now on official warning -- vote in line with the will of the troops and the will of the people, or pay the price."
Wow, Jon, that really throws the "you don't support the troops" rhetoric back in the weenie McConnell's face, now doesn't it?
Next up, Andrew Horne, votevets.org:
"Monday's vote to support escalation of the war in Iraq by the minority was a 'Profile in Cowardice.' A lot of Senators have puffed out there chests and spoken boldly about opposing an escalation of the war in Iraq, but when faced with pressure from their leader, buckled and wilted in fear. We Iraq veterans risked our very lives in service to this country, marching head-up into a field of bullets, IEDs, and rockets. These Senators ran scared because of political pressure from their party. It's clear who the true patriots are in this debate."
I gotta say that was launched squarely to the doorstep of two senators: Hagel and Warner, who inexplicably voted for filibuster because of partisanship which for the GOP seems to always trump doing the right thing.
Read the above quotes again, and realize this is how we need to talk -- aggressive, in stark terms, and couched in the reality of what our troops are facing on the ground right now. Leave the parliamentary games to the spineless Republicans who are too scared to defy their 32% approval rating president. It's time for the Dems to lead in the Senate and say enough to Republican semantics! Let's get to work and bring our troops home.
Read the entire press release here.