CHAFEE Raises a Good Point -Why did Dem Sen. who voted FOR IWR, Vote NO for LEVIN and ViseVersa?

[FrenchieCat]

Chafee's Op-ed in today's NYT
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/01/opinion/01chafee.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

in it, he states apart from other things.....

The Levin amendment was defeated by a 75 to 24 vote. Later that night, the Iraq War Resolution was approved, 77 to 23. It was clear that most senators were immune to persuasion because the two votes were almost mirror images of each other — no to the Levin amendment, aye to war. Their minds were made up.

It was incomprehensible to me at the time that the Levin amendment received only 24 votes. However, there were some heroes, like Paul Wellstone, Democrat of Minnesota, who even in the midst of a very difficult re-election campaign voted to slow the march to war. And then there was the moving statement by Robert Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia, in support of the Levin amendment and against the administration-backed resolution: “This is an unprecedented and unfounded interpretation of the president’s authority under the Constitution of the United States — not to mention the fact that it stands the charter of the United Nations on its head.”

Americans are gravely concerned about Iraq, and yearn for leadership to stabilize the situation there and gradually end United States involvement. Calling on presidential hopefuls to justify or recant their vote authorizing the president to take us to war almost misses the point.

The Senate had the opportunity to support a more deliberate, multilateral approach, one that still would have empowered the United States to respond to any imminent threat posed by Saddam Hussein. We must not sidestep the fact that a sensible alternative did exist, but it was rejected.

Candidates — Democrat and Republican — should be called to account for their vote on the Levin amendment.

The Levin Amendment would have required a vote from the UN, and then if Vote lost in UN then the administration would have had to come back to Congress for a 2nd vote before using force.

So when one looks at who voted AYE for the Levin amendment, the overwhelming majority of those Senators also voted NAY on the IWR that passed.

The same hold true in reverse; those who voted NAY on the Levin amendment voted AYE on the IWR.

So the question that Chafee is reminding us to ask; why did those who are now saying they made a mistake now vote NO on the Levin amendment? What is their rationale for their NO vote on the Levin Amendment? :shrug:
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NOTE: Senators who voted Nay on Levin, Yeah on IRW names' are in italics below. The ones running for President are bolded.

Akaka (D-HI) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

Baucus, Max (D-MT) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Bayh, Evan (D-IN) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Biden, Joe (D-DE) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Bingaman (D-NM) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

Boxer (D-CA) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

Breaux, John (D-LA) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Byrd (D-WV) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

Cantwell, Maria (D-WA) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Carnahan, Jean (D-MO) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Carper, Tom (D-DE) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Chafee (R-RI) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

Cleland, Max (D-GA) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Clinton, Hillary (D-NY) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Conrad (D-ND) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

Corzine (D-NJ) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

Daschle, Tom (D-SD) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Dayton (D-MN) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

Dodd, Chris (D-CT) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Dorgan, Byron (D-ND) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Durbin (D-IL) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

Edwards, John (D-NC) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

*Feinstein (D-CA) Voted AYE on Levin, AYE on IRW

Harkin (D-IA) Voted AYE on Levin, AYE on IRW

Hollings, Fritz (D-SC) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Inouye (D-HI) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

Jeffords (I-VT) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

Johnson, Tim (D-SD) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Kennedy (D-MA) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

Kerry, John (D-MA) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

*Kohl (D-WI) Voted AYE on Levin, AYE on IRW

Landrieu, Mary (D-LA) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Leahy (D-VT) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

Levin (D-MI) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

Lieberman, Joe (D-CT) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Lincoln, Blanche (D-AR) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Mikulski (D-MD) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

Miller, Zell (D-GA) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Nelson, Ben (D-NE) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Nelson, Bill (D-FL) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Reed (D-RI) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

Reid, Harry (D-NV) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

*Rockefeller (D-WV) Voted AYE on Levin, AYE on IRW

Sarbanes (D-MD) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

Schumer, Chuck (D-NY) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Stabenow (D-MI) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

Torricelli, Robert (D-NJ) Voted NAY on Levin, AYE on IRW

Wellstone (D-MN) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

Wyden (D-OR) voted AYE on Levin, NAY on IRW

*Feinstein, Kohl and Rockefeller all voted AYE on both
Feingold is not on the list. He voted NAY on both

If all DEM Senators including the one 1 Republican (Chafee) and Jeffords who did would have voted AYE on the Levin amendment, it would have passed......51 to 49--I guess that Liberman and Zell Miller would have not done this....but the message sent to Bush would have been very different, IMO.
But that's besides the point as each senator is responsible for his/her vote.

I understand the rational of those who voted YEA on Levin and NO on IWR.....just don't understand the rational on the ones who did the opposite.

So again, why did those senators who admit making a mistake now vote NO on the Levin Amendment? Because they could have voted Yes on Both....but they chose not to.

Your take?