Now the Democrats are talking. This is exactly how you get your Congressional approval numbers up. Do the job that you were elected to do -- give the Republicans hell and bring the troops home!
I think this calls for an all-nighter by MSNBC's Chris Matthews.
But I do hope Harry Reid understands that it's going to take a lot more than a one night stand to appease the American people. An all night filibuster is simply going to raise our expectations. Impeaching the criminals is the only path to peace.
From Think Progress: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced that in response to conservative obstructionism, he plans to force war supporters to physically remain in the Senate and filibuster Iraq withdrawal legislation."
"Reid accused conservatives of “protecting the President rather than protecting our troops” by “denying us an up or down vote on the most important issue our country faces.” He said that if a vote on the Reed/Levin Iraq legislation is not allowed today or tomorrow, he will keep the Senate in session “straight through the night on Tuesday” and force a filibuster."
Bob Geiger provides a preview of the high drama:
Reid could hold the Senate in continuous session overnight Tuesday and into midday Wednesday unless Republicans agree to a simple-majority vote on Reed-Levin.
Senate Democrats will then be prepared to take to the floor and speak all night and, if their Republican colleagues do not remain in the chamber, invoke ongoing quorum calls and other procedural maneuvers to force GOP members back to the Senate floor.
With the whole specter of cots being dragged into Senate cloakrooms and the pure theatrics involved, I'm hopeful this will shine a white-hot spotlight on the Senate's Republican leadership and show Americans how the GOP doesn't truly support helping troops and their families at home or extricating them from pointless involvement in the Iraqi civil war.
Harry Reid Filibuster Iraq Bush Senate Democrats News Politics MSNBC
