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Notes From The Senate All-Nighter

Posted by Bob Geiger at 12:15 AM on July 18, 2007.


Bob Geiger: The rhetoric is flying in the Capitol.
senate1
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Here's some miscellaneous notes as I watch Senate Republicans try to say something other than the rubber-stamp talk they've been spitting out for years -- along with a count of how many times they use the same old cynical phrases.

Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)

Desperate Buzzphrase Count:

  • "Cut and run" 6


  • Kit Bond (R-MO)

    Freudian slip in describing the alleged dangers of a troop withdrawal: "If we were to leave Iran without finishing the job…" said Bond.

    Yikes.

    Desperate Buzzphrase Count:

    • "Retreat and defeat" 3


    • "Cut and run" 2

    • "Run and leave" (See "Cut and run")

    • "Embarrass the president" 1


    Jim DeMint (R-SC)

    DeMint referred to Democrats as the "minority party" until Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) jumped in to correct him.

    Desperate Buzzphrase Count:

    • "Retreat" 1

    • "Embolden our enemies" 1
    • "Embarrass the president" 1


    Jim Bunning (R-KY)

    "Our enemies are watching us and using our debate on the war in Iraq to strengthen themselves," said Bunning, who obviously took too many line drives to the head during his pro baseball career.

    Yeah, because our enemies wouldn't get great joy out of seeing the fear they inspire turning American government into a dictatorship, right?

    Desperate Buzzphrase Count:

    • "MoveOn.org" 2

    • "Cut and Run" 2

    • "Follow us home" 1


    ******


    8:34 PM: Reid calls for vote on sending the Sergeant at Arms after Republicans who didn't respond to quorum call. Result: 44-47; Not agreed to, but enough Senators returned to form a quorum.

    9:05 PM: Count of Republican objections to proceeding to a vote on Levin-Reed amendment:

    • 3:16 PM Senator Lott objects to changing course in Iraq
    • 4:02 PM Senator Lott objects to changing course in Iraq
    • 6:25 PM Senator Hutchison objects to changing course in Iraq
    • 6:31 PM Senator Bond objects to changing course in Iraq
    • 7:35 PM Senator Warner objects to changing direction in Iraq


    Pure truth from Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to the other side of the aisle: "You'll be joining with us later, if you don't join with us today."

    Digg!

    Bob Geiger is a writer, activist and Democratic District Leader in Westchester County, NY.


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    View:
    "Embarass the pResident"?!?
    Posted by: grumble-bum on Jul 18, 2007 4:58 AM   
    Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
    Gee, yeah, we certainly wouldn't want to do that.

    I suppose we should be glad that the growing desperation of the Right is forcing them to finally admit what "staying the course" really means, if only accidentally. It makes me think of an abused mother trying to explain to her kids why "New Daddy" is slapping her around... "Really, he's a good man! He only does it because he's tired from work, & he loves us so much..." Meanwhile, everyone on the block has been talking about the bruises & trying to decide when to call the cops.

    How sad.

    [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

    » Victims and propaganda Posted by: eddie torres
    averageaussie
    Posted by: averageaussie on Jul 18, 2007 7:23 AM   
    Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
    Embarass bush? ha,ha, ha. Was that MEANT to be funny? These turkeys ought to be on the Comedy Channel! Embarass bush? Jeez, that's one of the funniest reasons not to end the war I've ever heard! This fool doesn't have the brains to be embarassed! Most of the sane people on this Earth have been laughing at the "moron in the shite house", even before he got there!! Embarass the president! If that's the best reason they can come up with not to end the Iraqi suffering then God help us all! Jeez.

    [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

    frank69
    Posted by: frank69 on Jul 18, 2007 7:57 AM   
    Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
    How can we possibly embarass and embarassment? The Imposter is the top embarassment in the entire world!
    And talk about "running out," - yeah, RepuThugs running out at the mouth - as in diarrhea of the mouth!

    [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

    Repug and Bush "buzzwords"
    Posted by: bettyn on Jul 18, 2007 9:32 AM   
    Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
    Can't these people come upwith anything remotely original? I'm so tired of Bush and his repetitious garbage. He sounds like a parrot and his servants just repeat this stuff ad infinitum.

    "Cut and run"
    "Family values"
    "Flip Flop"
    "Wouldn't be prudent"
    "Political capital"

    On and on it goes.

    [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

    Down in flames...
    Posted by: ~Fiona~ on Jul 18, 2007 10:32 AM   
    Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
    It seems about the only thing the "all nighter" accomplished was more of the same... I hope the dems can hold onto their backbones long enough to stick to one thing until they crack this gang of mindless robots.

    (Especally "Lynsie" Graham"... He reminds me of an evil "Mr Rogers"... The Jerk!)

    [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

    Finally a backbone!
    Posted by: Brian70 on Jul 18, 2007 11:15 AM   
    Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
    Finally the Democrats stand up to Bush and his bullies. I hope Reid makes the Republicans fillibuster until they fall over and then take the vote to have a designed redeployment/withdrawal of the troops. Maybe this will make the polls regarding the approval ratings of congress go up.

    [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

    24/7
    Posted by: pacto on Jul 18, 2007 11:40 AM   
    Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
    Our troops are engaged 24/7,trying to survive and this congress can`t give them more consideration than an ....All Nighter....,send them back to do it untill they get it done right.

    [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

    » RE: 24/7 Posted by: weatherking
    Embarrass the President??????
    Posted by: TruthBeTold on Jul 18, 2007 6:45 PM   
    Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
    A normal human being would be embarrassed, ashamed even, to be responsible for the deaths of 3,622 dead and 26,806 maimed and wounded Americans and untold hundred thousands of Iraqi citizens.

    George W Bush, Dick Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice and the rest of them sleep very well at night.

    [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

    Repugs or Dems, they're both led by Corporatocracy
    Posted by: neilemac on Jul 18, 2007 8:14 PM   
    Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
    It's my guess the entire exercise was a charade. When will the 'sheeple' awaken and realize there is but one party as Gore Vidal has often pointed out.... here's and example from NoelNatter's site:

    "Q: Talk about the role of the opposition party, the Democrats.

    Vidal: It isn’t an opposition party. I have been saying for the last thousand years that the United States has only one party—the property party. It’s the party of big corporations, the party of money. It has two right wings; one is Democrat and the other is Republican.


    Source: Interview with Gore Vidal

    Yep, it was just a perverted live game of Monopoly on the Hill. Business as usual.

    [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]