Vote today - 'tis a puzzlement

[TayTay]

Why did Kerry vote no?

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00253

Curtailing waste? What was that all about? Kennedy and Biden voted Yeah, Boxer and Kerry and Feingold and Bayh (plus others) voted no.

Whaz up with that?

[Mass]

1. That was the correct vote - It is about budget control

All Coburn was proposing was that the process was better controlled so that people did not waste the money (Coburn is right in his goal to control the deficit - his solutions are often plain wrong, but this time, he was right).

Amazingly, Byrd, who does not care about deficit, agreed also. For once, I would say Teddy is wrong.

Note: It was a vote to table the amendment.

[TayTay]

2. Thanks! I know that Coburn is a deficit hawk

I have actually survived hearing him on the floor. (A more sour human being I have yet to see, btw.)

So the amendment was tabled then and won't be in this bill, right?

Text of Amendment: SEC. __. None of the funds appropriated by this Act may be obligated or expended for the further development, deployment, or operation of any web-based, end-to-end travel management system, or services under any contract for such travel services that provides for payment by the Department of Defense to the service provider above, or in addition to, a fixed price transaction fee for eTravel services under the General Services Administration eTravel contract

[Mass]

3. Yes, it was tabled.

You cant give money for military healthcare or heating funds, but god forbids that you touch to travel costs in order to control them.

[beachmom]

4. Coburn voted for torture yesterday

I'm not sure you guys heard that McCain's amendment that specifically defines what is and isn't humane treatment passed in the Senate 90 - 9, rebelling against White House protests. But there were 9 crazies who voted to uphold torture. Coburn, along with 8 other red, red state wacko Senators, was one of them. McCain is beginning to become more powerful than the president now. He grilled the generals at the armed services committee meeting the other day pretty good, too. I guess you probably all saw TDS, when the general hinted that Vietnam veterans didn't understand what was happening in Iraq. Too bad, Kerry wasn't there to touch McCain's arm for a little moral support . . .

Yeah, I know, I know, McCain betrayed us and Kerry by campaigning for * last year, but I judge senators on their works, issue by issue, and McCain has been pretty good this year. He's been on the right side on the environment, pork spending, torture, and Iraq criticism, so I'm going to give him his due. I don't want to be from a country whose government is allowing systematic torture all over the world, and this is step #1 to stop this trend.

[Mass]

5. Coburn is an *ss, but he was right here (and McCain supported it)

and to be honest, McCain's amendment is less than overwhelming. It is the strict minimum on the subject.

[karynnj]

6. and he voted for Gonzales

[beachmom]

7. But the White House was vigorously opposed to that amendment

There are some saying that * has nominated Meiers because he knows she'll uphold their right to torture. McCain got the senate LEADERSHIP to thumb their noses at the WH. I like that, I have to say.

Agreed, he was wrong to vote for Gonzalez, but a lot of Dems voted for him, too. Plus, I think McCain was pretty weak on the torture stuff for about a year, and now has come to his senses as a former POW that we're not going to be a country who tortures.

[karynnj]

8. You are right - I AM holding McCain to a higher standard on

torture, because he is given an enormous amount of credit for being a POW. He experienced torture and knew what it does, but for nearly 2 years he was essentially quiet. From my POV, this likely means he didn't have the guts to stand up against torture while it wason-going and when it was first damaging our image.

Kerry called for Rumsfeld to resign over torture. He also had the courage at age 27 to denounce American actions that were not in compliance with international law. This took genuine moral courage - and he is still paying for it. (Witness the SBVT)

As a Republican, especially as a Republican Bush wanted to campaign with him - you would think he could have made a decent stand against terrorism his "price". To put togther a rather weak minimum thing you can do amendment seems mostly politics. In 2007, we will hear that the brave former POW stood up to Bush to protest torture. It will be repeated by an adoring press and he will receive enormous credit. Although I hate the phrase, this IS "too little, too late".

He also is very hawkish on Iraq, criticizing only that Bush is inept.