If you haven't seen it Senator Feingold had an Op-Ed piece in Salon today. In it he reminds us of some recent history.
Today, some supporters of the Iraq war suggest falsely that efforts to cut funding for the war are a threat to our troops in the field. But in 1993, senators overwhelmingly supported successful efforts to cut off funding for a flawed military mission.
We know the GOP is full of hypocrites but this is just another example of their problems with their integrity and memories. If the recent hearings were not enough to convince you about a Republican-American's memory this should clarify it.
Sen. Feingold also covered this in a speech in the Senate on 15 March as seen here on afterdowningstreet.
For those who don’t believe this can be done, let me cite an example from not too long ago. In October 1993, Congress enacted an amendment sponsored by the senior Senator from West Virginia cutting off funding for military operations in Somalia effective March 31, 1994, with limited exceptions. 76 Senators voted for that amendment. Many of them are still in this body, such as Senator Cochran, Senator Domenici, Senator Hutchison, Senator Lugar, Senator McConnell, Senator Specter, Senator Stevens and Senator Warner. Did those 8 Senators, and the many Democratic Senators who joined them, act to jeopardize the safety and security of U.S. troops in Somalia? By cutting off funds for a military mission, were they indifferent to the well-being of our brave men and women in uniform?
But back to the Salon piece.
The same day that the Senate voted on the Byrd amendment, 38 senators -- myself included -- supported an even stronger effort to end funding for Somalia operations. The amendment offered by Sen. John McCain on Oct. 15, 1993, would have eliminated funding for operations in Somalia immediately, except for funds for withdrawing troops or for continuing operations if any American POWs/MIAs were not accounted for. The mostly Republican senators who supported the McCain amendment were not disregarding the safety of our troops, or being indifferent to their need for guns, ammunition, food and clothing. They were supporting an appropriate, safe, responsible proposal to use Congress' power of the purse to bring an ill-conceived military mission to a close without in any way harming our troops.
So, Senator McCain what say you now. Sen. McConnell, no threats of filibusters then, why now? Can the occupant of the WH really make that much difference in how you decide the same issues? I call BULLSHIT! ON you and all the two-faced hypocrites. And that includes you Joseph Lieberman.