Reid ratchets up the stakes

July 18, 2007

About an hour ago, Senate Republicans successfully blocked the Reed-Levin amendment from coming to the floor, following a 52-47 vote. A majority of the Senate wanted to approve the measure, but like all of the other possible Democratic amendments, the GOP insisted it could not allow up-or-down votes.

So, apparently, Harry Reid has decided to raise the stakes a bit.

Ratcheting up the stakes in the wake of the GOP’s successful blocking of a vote on Iraq withdrawal just moments ago, Harry Reid just announced on the Senate floor that he won’t allow a vote on the entire Defense Authorization bill until the Senate GOP drops its filibustering of votes on Iraq.

The move is significant because it could hold up the funding of the Pentagon’s fiscal 2008 priorities until the standoff is resolved.

Well, that’s a rather hard-ball move, isn’t it? The expectation was that the GOP, once again, would block votes on key, popular amendments, prompting frustrated Dems to pass the Defense appropriations bill until the next fight. Reid is trying something else, telling Republicans: You want a funding bill? Then let’s have a few votes on some amendments.

Spencer Ackerman added, “Because the Pentagon’s priorities won’t become law until a Defense Authorization bill is passed, the Pentagon’s fiscal 08 priorities won’t get funded until this standoff is resolved — and Reid is insisting that won’t happen until the GOP allows a vote on the Iraq withdrawal measures. That’s pretty significant.”

It is, indeed.

Bob Geiger, who’s been doing terrific work covering this story, offers this transcript from Reid’s remarks on the Senate floor:

“Because Republicans continue to block votes on important amendments to the Defense Authorization bill, we can make no further progress on Iraq and this bill at this time.

“For these reasons, I have temporarily laid aside the Defense Authorization bill and have entered a motion to reconsider.

“But let me be clear to my Republican colleagues — I emphasize the word ‘temporarily.’ We will do everything in our power to change course in Iraq. We will do everything in our power to complete consideration of a Defense Authorization bill. We must do both.

“And just to remind my Republican colleagues — even if this bill had passed yesterday, its provisions would not take effect until October.

“So we will come back to this bill as soon as it is clear we can make real progress. To that end, I have asked the Democratic Whip and Democratic Manager of the bill to sit down with their counterparts to work on a process to address all outstanding issues related to this bill so the Senate can return to it as soon as possible.”

We may, in other words, see these amendments again. Stay tuned.

I’ve always appreciated Reid’s quiet, cards-to-the-chest way of playing this game. He’s done a lot with a pretty weak hand.

  • The one amendment we need to see is the Webb Amendment. Over at another board, not one of the right wingers has been able to answer why anyone who “supports the troops” can argue against the Webb Amendment.

    If there is one of these amendments that can really capture a majority of public support to the serious detriment of Republicans, this is the one. Nobody can argue it being the result of “Democratic weakness” or anything like that.

  • And the NY Times headline will be: “Democrats block funding for troops in Iraq” in 10… 9… 8…

  • Gentlemanly behaviour, quite apart from being out of fashion (sadly), is wasted on Republicans. All they understand is coercion and bare-knuckle force. If Harry Reid has either resource, he should use it. It might go against his nature, but he needs to use whatever will get him across the goal line. If the Republicans won’t respect the Democrats, they must learn to fear them.

  • Funny I just wrote a comment over The Blog Report about Reid ratcheting up the pressure. He’s definitely keeping the issue in the news as much as he can.

    PS. It still says “Daou Report” on the comments input screen at The Blog Report. The Daou that can be named is not the eternal Daou.

  • Reid is a former boxer, and he once had to be physically restrained from assautling a mobster he had helped sting. He’s tough enough.

  • Cleaver’s right (#2)

    The Webb Amendment above all others. Webb is the only amendment that actually supports the troops. Without it we are going to have a bunch of seriously hurt, mentally damaged Vets on the street for 50 years to come, to join my brothers from the 60’s. We probably will anyhow.

    If GWB needs more bodies in Iraq let him draft them (without deferments).

  • he won’t allow a vote on the entire Defense Authorization bill until the Senate GOP drops its filibustering of votes on Iraq.

    Whoa.

    I like Harry Reid. I think a lot of people don’t like him just because he’s a Mormon and he’s from the sticks, but I don’t think that really has anything to do with anything.

  • I’ve always appreciated Reid’s quiet, cards-to-the-chest way of playing this game. He’s done a lot with a pretty weak hand

    Totally agree – trying to imagine of Tom Daschle would have done this…

  • I agree that the Webb amendment is the thing to push. Like Wahoo says, if they think that militarily supporting the Iraqi “government” is so important, and if they agree that the troops need the bare minimum R&R to keep them from going insane, then… they’ll need to ask for a draft.

    I wonder how many Republicans would sign up for that?

    So which is it? Is this war not as important as you say, or do the troops not need R&R?

    Support the Troops. Get rid of the Republicans.

  • Tom Cleaver, I’m with you on the Webb amendment.

    I still can’t wrap my brain around the fact that anyone voted against it.

  • Such optimism!

    Are we truly Charlie Brown with Lucy Reid holding teh football telling us this time he’ll hold firm?

    Sure, it could happen, but why?
    Not that I wouldn’t LIKE it to….

  • It still says “Daou Report” on the comments input screen at The Blog Report. The Daou that can be named is not the eternal Daou.

    The Daou Te Blog?

  • When the Republicans and the Beltway Media start jumping up and down about the Dems blocking necessary funds and supplies for our troops, the Democrats will cave. Again.

  • I love how the headline now over at the Times website on the filibuster is “Democrats Fail to Force Vote on Iraq Pullout” (my emphasis). No, it’s not that the GOP filibustered…or hell, I’d even take, GOP Blocks Vote … nope, it’s those feckless Democrats, who failed again.

    Honestly, sometimes if you wonder why Dems aren’t willing to take more of a stand on things, maybe it’s because they have zero confidence that the media will report it as anything other than a Dem debacle.

  • Based on past performance, I am cautiously optimistic about this move. As has been said, and unfortunately, we’ve got to jump down in the mud and play rough, as they have always played us.

    But I fear what Snow Camp fears–when the heat is ratcheted up, and make no mistake, it will, especially through all of the established mouthpieces with bullhorns–this will get UGLY–Reid has to stick with this.

    It’s probably his last chance to. And perhaps my last hope that Dems can finally, finally, play hardball right with them. They just aren’t used to that, and it will shake them up–but only if Reid remains steadfast.

  • The republicans once again will be ready to let the soldiers do without and be sacrificed rather than allow Democrats to make changes. This fiasco will never end if the Dems, for any reason, keep funding it. They must do whatever is necessary to stop this dictatorship from continuing this failed policy, because in the long run there will be more death if the policy goes on.

    We must keep letting Reid know that the country is behind him.

  • They will fight the Webb amendment because they will have to re-instate the draft to carry it out, and they don’t want to do that until after the elections in 2008. The draft bill is written, it singles out men and women between the ages of 17-35. It has been sitting on the shelf since 2004.

    I am glad to see the democrats putting up a fight this time, but I am not holding my breath. Why are we building huge bases in Iraq…9, I think? Is it to give them their country back? Somehow I doubt it. There are huge money interests involved here, Halliburton, etc. This war is quickly becoming the Republican’s war, they are going to do all in their power to keep it going.

    I am of the opinion all of them need to be replaced, democrat and republican. They all work for corporate special interests. They have all forgotten who really pays their bills. We need fresh people like Mr. Webb who actually thinks about the welfare of this nation before special interests.

  • I hope Harry has the fortitude to keep the pressure on. The House and Senate should be forcing votes on Troop withdrawal every week.

    And one thing I would love to see:

    As a public service, every day Democrats should begin all of their speeches and public/tv appearances by repeating this one simple sentence.

    Osama Bin Laden is responsible for 9/11 and is still at large; Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with attacking the World Trade Center, anyone who says otherwise is not telling you the truth.

    If this gets repeated enough times, maybe, just maybe the 26 percenters will start to get why the rest of us are soooooo pissed off.

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