2.08.2007

It Takes Republicans For The Hardest, Strangest Flip Flops

As readers here know, I applauded Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska for his strong words in January about Iraq and the need to get opposition to Bush's planned surge/escalation on the record.

So I was gravely disappointed last week when Hagel, joined by a number of other either more moderate GOP senators or those who "saw the light" on the insanity of Bush's occupation in Iraq, refused to block fellow GOP Senator (and Scum Extraordinaire) Mitch McConnell's filibuster to stop any debate on a resolution disapproving of the surge.

Now Hagel and friends, called "rogue Republicans" now, have flipped back. But I doubt I'll be lauding Hagel and Rogues again any time soon. From Raw Story:

A group of seven Republican senators has sent a letter to the Senate's Republican and Democratic leadership insisting that they remove political gamesmanship from the chamber's debate about Iraq. While some have lauded the move, others see it as insufficient to make up for the fact that most of the senators in question refused to vote to end the filibuster on the Warner-Levin Iraq resolution on Monday.

Blogger Steve Clemons posted the full letter directed to Senators Mitch McConnel. (R-KY), Trent Lott (R-MS), Harry Reid (D-NV), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) on his blog, The Washington Note, last night. In the letter, Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME), John Warner (R-VA), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Susan Collins (R-ME), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Gordon Smith (R-OR), and George Voinovich (R-OH) implored the leadership of both parties to make it possible for the the debate over Iraq to go forward.

"We strongly believe the Senate should be allowed to work its will on our resolution as well as the concepts brought forward by other Senators. Monday's procedural vote should not be interpreted as any lessening of our resolve to go forward advocating the concepts of S. Con. Res. 7," they wrote. "The current stalemate is unacceptable to us and to the people of this country."

Clemons believes that the letter is a "brave move" and interpreted the following meaning from its contents: "Essentially, these seven Senators have said to their own Republican leadership and the Democrats to "shape up" or a "pox on both your houses."
Yeah, well, a pox on men and women like Hagel, Warner, Collins, and Smith, too. Hopefully, that fence they're riding features hellacious splinters!