Posted by
Ben Amis on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 8:43:51 AM
Well, we've made it through the night and continue on through the morning, just three hours away from the cloture vote for this amendment, at which time I will give yet another post to you, right here. However, as the rays of sunlight penetrate the clouds of Washington and shine upon the dome of the Capitol, I have to believe that this amendment is doomed to never receive the up-or-down vote so passionately called for by the Majority.
After my last post, debate hit an all-time low. The Senate grew tired, as did I, but it still trudged on through the night. After Sen. Sessions, John McCain, R-Arizona, took the floor to speak for a time. He displayed true leadership, examining in-depth the situation in Iraq, complete with an analysis of the Middle East region, and what would happen to the various nations there. A surge of Iraqi refugees to little Jordan, and a rising threat to Israel as countries like Syria and Iran send in their terrorists to Iraq.
Then, another presidential candiate took the floor, Ms. Hilary Clinton, D-New York. She began by praising the troops that had done such a fine job in Iraq, such as those in Anbar, but then also repeatedly called Iraq a civil
war, and that Al Qaeda is not the primary cause of instability of Iraq. She, rightfully so, criticized the Iraqi police force, some of who looked the other way as members of their sect operated illegally, and sometimes even turned on coalition forces and their national government in favor of their sect. She ended by calling to move our troops out of the way of the Iraqi civil war.
This was most of what we heard throughout the night, through Norm Coleman, R-Minn., Bob Casey, D-Penn., and others. The Senate floor began to get lively again as the ever-interesting Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, got the floor, stating that he'd love to see an end to Iraq, and would also love to "balance the budget" and "cure AIDS". He warned that we have to be cautious and do things carefully.
Later on, Ken Salazar, D-Colorado, got up and criticized the "partisan bickering" that he had seen throughout the night, and urged passage of the amendment.
Currently, James Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, is speaking. He has discussed his opposition, and reminded the Senate of the positive effects of the war this far. He's said how amazed he is at the volunteermanship of the military as opposed to a draft, which he was caught in once, and stated how he was glad that Fox News was over there for them now, and not just CNN International, so that they know the people at home are behind them.
It's been announced that the Senate will adjourn for one minute at 10 AM in order to officially start a new legislative day. Then after 11 AM, the cloture vote will occur, and you will hear from me at least one more time concerning this session. So, as Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., takes the floor, I ask you one last time: stay tuned.