GOP talking points have labeled last night's filibuster on the Iraq defense spending amendments "Political Theater." Well, then, they shouldn't have threatened to have it come to this.
You see, much of what goes on in the halls of Congress, well, it goes on in the halls of Congress — not on the House or Senate floor. And the Republicans in the Senate tried to make legal maneuvers in the committee rooms and hallways to keep the many proposed amendments (almost all aimed at requiring troop withdrawal) from ever making it to the floor for an honest vote. It is to the Democratic leadership's credit that they finally stood up and said “No.”
A candlelight vigil was held outside Congress last night as well, attended by 57 Representatives and 25 Senators. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.) said this to those assembled:
If this was theater, it was public theater. And that is how our American democratic system is supposed to work. It remains to be seen how the voting will go on these amendments, but one thing is for sure: the Democrats in Congress have finally stood up to the Bush-Cheney war machine and said, “No more.”
You see, much of what goes on in the halls of Congress, well, it goes on in the halls of Congress — not on the House or Senate floor. And the Republicans in the Senate tried to make legal maneuvers in the committee rooms and hallways to keep the many proposed amendments (almost all aimed at requiring troop withdrawal) from ever making it to the floor for an honest vote. It is to the Democratic leadership's credit that they finally stood up and said “No.”
A candlelight vigil was held outside Congress last night as well, attended by 57 Representatives and 25 Senators. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.) said this to those assembled:
So I have one question for all of you: Are we united in speaking out against the Republican obstructionism on the floor of the United States Senate? If we are united let us respectfully proceed and listen to our Senators and bear witness to the obstructionism of the Republicans, and bear witness to their just saying ‘No’ to having a vote on Levin-Reed.
If we are unified then we will be successful and we will soon have the vote on Levin-Reed to end the war and bring the troops home.
If this was theater, it was public theater. And that is how our American democratic system is supposed to work. It remains to be seen how the voting will go on these amendments, but one thing is for sure: the Democrats in Congress have finally stood up to the Bush-Cheney war machine and said, “No more.”
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