The Gang of Invertebrates In the Senate

 
We should have been on this earlier. I was so distracted by the Pajamas Media OSM Outing that it went under the radar.

The Republicans are a bunch of wusses. The Gang of Invertebrates. Not only did the senior Senator from Virginia and the Majority Leader propose this effluvium, but most of the so-called Republicans voted for it.

Just so you can see what they get paid the big bucks for, here’s Senate Amendment 2518(it's an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006) in all its glorious senatorial wheeze. The sections in bold are my amendments to this piece of trash:

	SA 2518. Mr. WARNER (for himself and Mr. FRIST) proposed an amendment to the bill S. 1042, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2006 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe personnel strengths for such fiscal year for the Armed Forces, and for other purposes; as follows:
	At the end of title XII, add the following:
	SEC. __. UNITED STATES POLICY ON IRAQ.
	(a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``United States Policy on Iraq Act''.
	(b) Sense of Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate that, in order to succeed in Iraq--
	(1) members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or have served in Iraq and their families deserve the utmost respect and the heartfelt gratitude of the American people for their unwavering devotion to duty, service to the Nation, and selfless sacrifice under the most difficult circumstances;so that's why we're sending you this little Thanksgiving present, men. It's our plastic turkey: looks real but all it proves is our fear of the Democrats.
	(2) it is important to recognize that the Iraqi people have made enormous sacrifices and that the overwhelming majority of Iraqis want to live in peace and security;and they sure better learn to do it more quickly than our European friends, considering we stayed there for half a century.
	(3) calendar year 2006 should be a period of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty, with Iraqi security forces taking the lead for the security of a free and sovereign Iraq, thereby creating the conditions for the phased redeployment of United States forces from Iraq; yeah, just like we did back in the 1780's. We didn't take long at all, did we? No bickering among our factions, no sir. Hey, whatever you can't get done in time, Iraq, just make the rest slaves. It'll give you sixty years of breathing room. Worked for us. A few people died, but hey, time is money, folks. Move it.
	(4) United States military forces should not stay in Iraq any longer than required and the people of Iraq should be so advised; Oh, right. Like they didn't already know it? Like half of them aren't already expecting us to cut and run? This is called "sending a message" Senate-style. As usual, it is a tale told by idiots. More dumb and blunted sticks that insure factional instability. Way to go, Senators. No wonder they named that ball team after you.
	(5) the Administration should tell the leaders of all groups and political parties in Iraq that they need to make the compromises necessary to achieve the broad-based and sustainable political settlement that is essential for defeating the insurgency in Iraq, within the schedule they set for themselves; Jefferson and Adams must be holding onto their sides laughing at this one. God only knows what Madison is saying, but it probably amounts to a richly deserved curse on your senatorial heads.
	(6) (T)he Administration needs to explain to Congress and the American people its strategy for the successful completion of the mission in Iraq. Can you spell "attrition"? How about Zarqawi? Can you say "Saudis send senseless suicide bombers through Syria"?
	(c) Reports to Congress on United States Policy and Military Operations in Iraq.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every three months thereafter until all United States combat brigades have redeployed from Iraq, the President shall submit to Congress an unclassified report on United States policy and military operations in Iraq. Each report shall include, to the extent practicable, the following unclassified information:
	(1) The current military mission and the diplomatic, political, economic, and military measures, if any, that are being or have been undertaken to successfully complete or support that mission, including:
	(A) Efforts to convince Iraq's main communities to make the compromises necessary for a broad-based and sustainable political settlement.
	(B) Engaging the international community and the region in the effort to stabilize Iraq and to forge a broad-based and sustainable political settlement.
	(C) Strengthening the capacity of Iraq's government ministries.
	(D) Accelerating the delivery of basic services.
	(E) Securing the delivery of pledged economic assistance from the international community and additional pledges of assistance.
	(F) Training Iraqi security forces and transferring security responsibilities to those forces and the government of Iraq.
	(2) Whether the Iraqis have made the compromises necessary to achieve the broad-based and sustainable political settlement that is essential for defeating the insurgency in Iraq.
	(3) Any specific conditions included in the April 2005 Multi-National Forces-Iraq campaign action plan (referred to in United States Government Accountability Office October 2005 report on Rebuilding Iraq: DOD Reports Should Link Economic, Governance, and Security Indicators to Conditions for Stabilizing Iraq), and any subsequent updates to that campaign plan, that must be met in order to provide for the transition of security responsibility to Iraqi security forces.
	(4) To the extent that these conditions are not covered under paragraph (3), the following should also be addressed:
	(A) The number of battalions of the Iraqi Armed Forces that must be able to operate independently or to take the lead in counterinsurgency operations and the defense of Iraq's territory.
	(B) The number of Iraqi special police units that must be able to operate independently or to take the lead in maintaining law and order and fighting the insurgency.
	(C) The number of regular police that must be trained and equipped to maintain law and order.
	(D) The ability of Iraq's Federal ministries and provincial and local governments to independently sustain, direct, and coordinate Iraq's security forces.
	(5) The criteria to be used to evaluate progress toward meeting such conditions.
	(6) A schedule for meeting such conditions, an assessment of the extent to which such conditions have been met, information regarding variables that could alter that schedule, and the reasons for any subsequent changes to that schedule.

You know what this is, don't you? It's a slap at the President and a demeaning of the Defense Department. They have to report to the Senate, papers in hand, like some social worker called before the judge to make sure her work complies with the time-consuming, senseless, idiot-generated federal paperwork rules. How degrading -- but maybe that was the point??

Or is it that the President's poll numbers are down, so let's all go down with him? A suicide pact? They been so co-operative to date, that must be it.

By the way, the Club for Growth's candidate, Thune, voted NAY. Make sure to thank him for showing some intestinal fortitude. The gutless wonders who voted YEA sure don't have any.

Here’s the place to see how your senators voted. WARNING: It's a sickening list.

The Invertebrate Gang, formerly known as RINOs, who were formerly known as Republicans ought to be ashamed of their spinelessness. I sent emails to Senators Warner, First and Majority Whip, Senator McConnell. I also sent one to my other Virginia Senator, George Allen. I suggest you send along your own thoughts to your elected officials who voted for this insult to the American military and to the Iraqi people. And just in time for Thanksgiving in Iraq. How thoughtful.

Here’s the Frist version of my email — sent to our putative Majority Leader:


Dear Senator First:

The fact that you sponsored this bill, much less voting for it is a sin and a shame. You are our Senate "leader"?

Just how long did we give the Europeans to get on their feet?

And how long did it take our own struggling democracy to federalize and become autonomous?

Shame on you sir, and shame on John Warner and shame on every single invertebrate Republican in the Senate. From your cozy quarters you spit on the work of our soldiers and the efforts of the Iraqis.

Boy, you guys are begging for a regime change at home, aren't you?

This is about as bad as John McCain's stupidity...not quite, but keep practicing, Doctor. Your aim is improving.


You can find the email address for your own personal trough-feeder senator by going here. In fact the whole site has good information on the goings-on in Washington. We have it on our desktop links page but it looks like it would be a good idea to put it on the blogroll in time for the next move by the Moral Midgets on Capitol Hill.

Meanwhile, we’ll be posting quite soon on a great immigration bill being sponsored in the House. Stay tuned.


The Club for Growth says that Jim Lehrer's program on PBS had to cancel Pat Toomey's appearance because none of the invertebrate RINOs would show up to debate him. Why are we not surprised?