Who's Blocking What?
by Michael Reagan
Posted 02/09/2007 ET

Aside from the fact that it is patently untrue that Senate Republicans are blocking any debate on the current state of the war in Iraq, the hypocrisy of the Democrats on the issue boggles the mind.

If you believe what you read in the media (a very foolish thing to do nowadays when the boys and girls in mainstream media have finally bowed to reality and abandoned any pretense of being non-partisan), the GOP leadership is hell-bent on preventing any debate on the Senate floor about the planned surge of troops and the President's new strategy of cleansing the strife-ridden streets of Baghdad and neighboring Anbar province.

That's flat-out untrue, but sticking to the truth is not one of the things for which the Democrats and their media allies are best known.

According to CNN News on Wednesday, top Senate Democrats called on Senate Republicans to "stop blocking a debate" on President Bush's plan to send additional troops to Iraq.

"Before sending another 48,000 young Americans into battle, the Congress owes it to our troops, their families, and their communities to have an honest and open discussion about their mission," the Democrats said in a news release.

Ooops! The President is sending about 21,000 new troops, not 48,000; but then, as noted above, the Democrats never let the truth get in their way when playing the demagogue game. After all, 48,000 sounds scarier than 21,000.

Anyway, the Democrats are busy trying to convince the public that in blocking a vote on the "no confidence" Warner resolution criticizing President Bush's troop-surge and pacification strategy the Senate Republicans are trying to block any debate on the matter.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid rants that Republicans "did our country a grave disservice" by "blocking a debate" on the Iraq war.

The fact is that the Senate GOP leadership insists that they do want a full debate on the issue and not one limited to a single no-confidence vote on the President’s surge strategy.

According to Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the U.S. mission in Iraq is the most important issue facing the country.

"And this means, of course, that the men and women of this body have no higher duty than to express ourselves openly and honestly on this issue -- to take a stand on where we stand."

And, adds McConnell, the best way to do that is for the senators to "express themselves on whether to fund or not fund the war in Iraq."

By blocking a vote on the war-funding resolution, McConnell charged, Democrats are blocking a vote on the "essential question...Do we oppose this war to the point of action, or do we simply want to make a point?"

The Democrats, he said, "do not want to vote on whether troops should be funded. Period. There is no more critical question at this moment. We have the duty to take it up, and we'll continue to fight for that right."

According to The Washington Times, McConnell -- who previously insisted he won't "allow a vote on the resolution of no confidence" without a vote on two other resolutions -- has modified his stance.

One of the resolutions, authored by Sen. John McCain, "would endorse the 'surge' plan but set benchmarks for Iraqi self-governance," and the other sponsored by Sen. Judd Gregg, "would promise not to cut funding for the war."

McConnell now offers to allow the [Warner/Democatic] resolution to go forward in exchange for a vote on the 'no funding cutoff' resolution only."

But according to USA Today, Reid told McConnell to go fly a kite, saying "negotiations are over."

You have to be amused by the Democrats' antics -- after all, these are the same people who made a career out of blocking up-or-down votes on the confirmation of hordes of constitutionalist nominees to the federal courts.

And now they are back at it, blocking a full debate on the war and the vital issue of funding our troops in harm's way and having the gall to say it's the Republicans doing the blocking.

Ellie