ANWR in the defense Bill - it seems it may pass as Democrats refuse

[Mass]

to filibuster. It is obviously a difficult choice as the GOP has put ANWR in the Defense Appropriation Bill. We'll see what happens.

But senators of both parties acknowledged that lawmakers may fear that a vote against the bill could be portrayed as a vote against supporting troops in a time of war.

"Voting against a defense appropriations bill would be a difficult vote for most members," said Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 ranking Democrat in the Senate.

...
But Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said Democrats were still gathering the votes they needed Friday to defeat the measure on a procedural vote. If not, he pledged he would lead a filibuster.

"We're busy counting heads and talking to people right now," Kerry said. "A lot of people are very, very upset by this procedure. My hope is we don't have to get to (a filibuster)."

http://www.adn.com/money/story/7293671p-7205364c.html

Sen. John Kerry, an ardent drilling opponent, said he has talked to many senators who feel they can't block a bill that funds the military. He hopes to prevail on ANWR by challenging its inclusion as a violation of Senate rules.

If that doesn't work, couldn't he filibuster the whole bill?

"You could, but we don't have the votes," Kerry said.

He would need 41 senators to sustain a filibuster.

[ray of light]

1. I hope the separation of rules works.

[ProSense]

2. Republicans like Steven always resort to underhanded moves

to get their way. What hypocrisy!

[babylonsister]

3. It seems it's not working. Warner, Graham,

and a whole lot of Dems are teed off that this was done behind their backs.
Does anyone know who slipped ANWR into the defense bill? I heard one culprit
might be Duncan Hunter.

[ray of light]

6. wait!!! Did it PASS? I thought they were all fighting it.

[babylonsister]

7. It hadn't while I was watching CSPAN2. Everyone was

complaining about the underhanded way ANWR was slipped into the bill. But football is on now, so don't know the current status. Maybe still on CSPAN?

[fedupinBushcountry]

8. They have stopped talking

in a quorom call. I'll tell ya I could slap silly Coburn from Oklahoma, what a child. He took what Reid said personally and he thinks that he knows everything about the Senate and its rules with 1 year experience. I thought he was suppose to be kicked out for still practicing medicine, thank God I don't live in OK., I would make sure he never touched me. :puke:

[globalvillage]

9. But this house press conference they're showing is good.

Bi-partisan re the defense auth bill.
Kucinich was just yelling about the NYT holding on to the bush* story for a year.
That was cool.

[fedupinBushcountry]

10. Yes it was

and throughout, I could hear specific words first used by JK.

Edited to add:

from both Dems and Republicans.

[Mass]

11. Sessions seems to say it will be withdrawn because Graham and Warner

are so mad.

Apparently, it is Blunt and Frist that are responsible, and not Hunter. It is at least what Levin was saying.

Anyway, it would not have been voted in the Senate before Monday.

[Island Blue]

4. I hate Republicans.

They're evil.

[WildEyedLiberal]

5. That does sum it up

My sig line also sums it up quite nicely, IMO.

[Mass]

12. More here

http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~3171916,00.html

Paul Reickhoff, an Iraq war veteran, told reporters Friday in a teleconference with Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., that the ANWR rider risks delaying the bill and would thus put more troops at risk. The ANWR rider also would hurt troop morale more than "any debate about the appropriateness of the war," Reickhoff said.

Anyone who supports adding ANWR legislation to the defense bill would have "no right to later claim that they support the troops," Reickhoff said.
...

[_dynamicdems]

13. BASTARDS!

What trick, what device, what starting-hole canst thou now find out, to hide thee from this open and apparent shame?

- William Shakespeare: Henry IV, part I

[fedupinBushcountry]

14. They voted for it in the House

The House went back in session at midnight last night. It was totally a sham.

I stayed up watching until about 3:30 a.m. They put another 42 pages on Avian flu that was not in the conference report and they told the Dems it would not be put in and it was in one of the bills, my God it was so confusing on what was put on what. I think it was the same bill as ANWR and it passed by 6 votes if I'm not mistaken.

The extra 42 pages was all for the sake of Pharmaceutical companies. So if you get a flu shot and you become ill or are damaged from it who knows know matter what medicine you take, you have to show the burden of proof, and if you can't do that you are not allowed to sue and their is no way to compensate for your injuries.

The Oil companies and Drug companies made out big today, the American people were put at the back of the line again.

The Dems stood strong there were some great speeches. Rep. Obey and Kucinich were right on top of all of it. The Defense bill had only been given out 1 hour before the vote over 1,000 pages, who knows what else
they slipped in.

Edited for additional info:

The Defense bill passed by a vote of 308-106

The rule to bring the conference bill to vote on passed by only 6.


You know they always say when will the Dems get a spine, I say when will the Repubs get one and stand up for the American people. We need to vote these bastards out next year, or else we will fall deeper in the hole of facism.

I am totally sick of all this corruption, it has never been this bad ever. :mad: :puke: