Military Spending Bill Is Stalled by Procedural Vote in SenateThe Senate voted against taking up a major military bill that includes a provision allowing the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell policy" regarding gay soldiers.
To be clear, no one is a winner here. You're a jerk if you vote for it, and a jerk if you don't. And the boys in harm's way are being told they aren't going to get their paychecks while the Senate plays politics.
Senate Republicans blocked debate of the bill -- the huge, annual authorization of military programs -- after the majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, said he would attach a number of the Democrats' election-year priorities to it and also move to limit the amendments to be offered by Republicans. That's the bi-partisanship Mr. Obama was talking about for the last two years, right?
The vote was 56 to 43.
Wait, doesn't Harry have 59 votes? He can't even keep his own party in line?
Congress has approved the annual Pentagon authorization bill for 48 consecutive years. Lets pause and reflect on THAT for a moment, can we? Remember when Ike warned of the Industrial Military Complex? Yeah - that's kind of what he was talking about. 48 years in a row, eh?
It seems likely that the measure will be brought up again after the election in the relatively calmer -- if somewhat unpredictable -- atmosphere of a lame duck session. You know, when fewer people are paying attention or playing politics with what would otherwise be a procedural vote.
Maybe we should be asking larger questions - like why that sucker has been passed 48 years in a row - with no question. Maybe why we've spent 10 trillion dollars since WWII being the world's police man. We don't seem to want the job anymore, and you'd think our military contractors would make more money selling goods and services if there were more customers, like Japan and Germany?
In the meantime, playing a game of political cat and also cat isn't really playing nice, now is it? No matter what Lady GaGa says.
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