Why Do These 38 People Hate America? And Where Was McCain?
Bob Geiger
Here's the 38 U.S. Senators who voted against S. 4, the bill "to make the United States more secure by implementing unfinished recommendations of the 9/11 Commission," which passed in the Senate on Tuesday:
* Alexander (R-TN)
* Allard (R-CO)
* Bennett (R-UT)
* Brownback (R-KS)
* Bunning (R-KY)
* Burr (R-NC)
* Chambliss (R-GA)
* Coburn (R-OK)
* Cochran (R-MS)
* Corker (R-TN)
* Cornyn (R-TX)
* Craig (R-ID)
* Crapo (R-ID)
* DeMint (R-SC)
* Domenici (R-NM)
* Ensign (R-NV)
* Enzi (R-WY)
* Graham (R-SC)
* Grassley (R-IA)
* Gregg (R-NH)
* Hagel (R-NE)
* Hatch (R-UT)
* Hutchison (R-TX)
* Inhofe (R-OK)
* Isakson (R-GA)
* Kyl (R-AZ)
* Lott (R-MS)
* Lugar (R-IN)
* Martinez (R-FL)
* McConnell (R-KY)
* Roberts (R-KS)
* Sessions (R-AL)
* Shelby (R-AL)
* Sununu (R-NH)
* Thomas (R-WY)
* Thune (R-SD)
* Vitter (R-LA)
* Warner (R-VA)
I thought these guys liked to wave the flag and say they love America -- what gives?
Here's the Republicans who voted with the Democrats, Independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Joe Lieberman (whatever the hell he's supposed to be):
* Bond (R-MO)
* Coleman (R-MN)
* Collins (R-ME)
* Dole (R-NC)
* Murkowski (R-AK)
* Smith (R-OR)
* Snowe (R-ME)
* Specter (R-PA)
* Stevens (R-AK)
* Voinovich (R-OH)
Smart move for Coleman, Collins, Dole, Smith and Stevens, who all need to get elected again in 2008.
And, while Allard has decided to do the country a favor and retire after this term, Alexander, Chambliss, Cochran, Cornyn, Craig, Domenici -- if he makes it that far -- Enzi, Graham, Hagel, Inhofe, McConnell, Roberts, Sessions, Sununu and Warner all just gave their 2008 opponents a good bit of ammunition.
And did you notice that two Senators didn't vote on the 9/11 Commission recommendations on Tuesday? Absent were Tim Johnson (D-SD) who is still out recovering from a brain hemorrhage and a guy named John McCain, who simply suffers from an ever-increasing case of no guts.
Update: I discovered what was so important that McCain had to miss the big Tuesday vote on America's security:
Why McCain Skipped 9/11 Recommendations Vote
I knew there had to be a good reason that John McCain missed a critical vote on the 9/11 Commission recommendations in the Senate on Tuesday… I thought it might have been because he didn’t have the guts to go on the record and join 38 Republicans in opposing increased security for America -- though that may still be part of it.
No, McCain decided it was more important to be way out in California for a series of big-money fundraisers on Tuesday than to be on Capitol Hill voting on the bill intended to "make the United States more secure by implementing unfinished recommendations of the 9/11 Commission to fight the war on terror more effectively."
Here's his aggressive legislative agenda for Tuesday, right from his presidential campaign web site:
He probably figured, what the heck, with Democrats in control of Congress, the country's going to become safer with or without him there -- my vote is for without -- and the private fundraising event in Beverly Hills was expected to snag up to $250,000.
Oh, and by the way, Democratic Senators running for president, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd and Joe Biden all managed to show up for the big vote today.