Nine GOP Senators MIA and AWOL on Iraq Vote

[CorpGovActivist]

"Nine Republican senators were not present for the vote, including Senator John McCain of Arizona, a presidential candidate, who was campaigning in Iowa. Two other Republicans, Jon Kyl of Arizona and Bob Corker of Tennessee, had left for Baghdad."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/18/washington/18vote.html?em&ex=1171947600&en=a5409971930a3f0e&ei=5087%0A

The vote was 56-34. That adds up to 90 votes. Assuming that the one missing Democratic vote is Senator Johnson (who's recuperating in the hospital), that accounts for the 10 missing votes.

The Dems need to start swinging hard, and calling this for what it is: 9 GOP Senators were MIA and AWOL, and did not stand up - one way or the other - to show their support for the troops.

- Dave

[babylonsister]

1. It does make me question their priorities, especially McCain's.

I do wish the Dems would call them all out on their no-shows. It looks suspiciously like they didn't want to vote, doesn't it.

[CorpGovActivist]

5. The Two Visiting Iraq...

... seemed especially convenient.

- Dave

[rodeodance]

2. McCain did not vote First time around either.

[delphinium]

3. Didn't know that

What a chicken.

[Blackhatjack]

4. More apt description - McCain is a Dead Duck, for more reasons than one...

He hitched his wagon to Bush, got the 'big hug' from Bush, and tried to change his stripes to appeal to the Bush backers for the Repub nomination.

Bush is radioactive to all Repub candidates, and McCain is stuck with him.

His recent poll numbers bear out the truth, McCain is a candidate with no support.

[CorpGovActivist]

6. BHJ: I Was a McCain Supporter in '00...

... and every McCain supporter I know says, "No way in hell I'd vote for him this time around," because he carried water for Bush.

- Dave

[Blackhatjack]

9. Dave, you are not alone --even pollsters cannot find his constituency...

which would really be surprising for a serious candidate who ran for President before.

I have heard rumors that Bush 'reached out to McCain' and encouraged him to adopt Bush's positions in exchange for Bush introducing McCain to his critical campaign fundraisers and advisors, that this happened at a time McCain's numbers were still pretty good, and that Bush has been working all along with his Dad to encourage brother Jeb to take the slot.

After the 'dirty tricks' and character assassination that Bush pulled on McCain in the South Carolina primary, most people would expect McCain not to be fooled about Bush's true intentions.

His numbers across the board are just horrible with every demographic.

[seafan]

7. You are exactly right. The Maverick is on the run from this subject.

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00044

U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 110th Congress - 1st Session

as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate

Vote Summary

Question: On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to S. 470 )
Vote Number: 44 Vote Date: February 5, 2007, 05:44 PM
Required For Majority: 3/5 Vote Result: Cloture Motion Rejected
Measure Number: S. 470
Measure Title: A bill to express the sense of Congress on Iraq.

Vote Counts: YEAs 49
NAYs 47
Not Voting 4


YEAs ---49

Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lincoln (D-AR)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Obama (D-IL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---47
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Reid (D-NV)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)


Not Voting - 4

Johnson (D-SD)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)

McCain needs to retire. What he has become is a sad spectacle.

[williesgirl]

8. I'm sending an email to Warner (R-VA) now telling him he'd better retire or I'll work

especially hard for his challenger (hopefully Mark Warner) to replace him. This is shameful for him, especially since he does not support it in the first place. No balls, no integrity.

[Blue_In_AK]

10. Lisa Murkowski was here in Alaska, I think I read this morning...

She's been really bothered by the Iraq war, at least according to several articles in the local news, so perhaps she just wimped out on this one rather than having to go on record. I'm sure Uncle Ted Stevens has been putting a lot of pressure on her to stay in line.

[Pathwalker]

11. Cut and Run Republicans! They cut and ran from the vote!

Let's call them that every chance we get.

[133724]

12. Money Trumps Peace...n/t