Pessimism VI

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Sigh.
Morons.

The New York Times reports:

The [military detention] bill’s ultimate passage was assured on Wednesday when Democrats agreed to forgo a filibuster in return for consideration of the [Specter] amendment [on habeas, which lost by a 48-51 vote]. Any changes in the Senate bill, however, would have made it impossible for Republican leaders to meet their goal of sending the bill to the White House before adjourning on Friday to hit the campaign trail.

Underscoring the political stakes involved, White House spokesman Tony Snow said today that President Bush will emphasize Democratic opposition to the bill in campaign appearances.


“He’ll be citing some of the comments that members of the Democratic leadership have made in recent days about what they think is necessary for winning the war on terror,” Mr. Snow told reporters en route to a fundraiser in Alabama, according to a transcript provided by the White House.

So let me get this straight: The Democrats give up the chance at filibustering one of the worst bills in recent memory because they were afraid that the President would paint them as soft on terrorism.

After the bill passes, the President plans to paint them as soft on terrorism.


What a spineless, worthless lot the Democrats in the Senate are. They deserve every lost Senate and House seat that comes from this.

A lot of nice speeches in the Senate today. In about a decade, when the state starts locking up activists as enemy combatants, those of us stuck in a hole with no hope of trial will have plenty of time to read them.

UPDATE: The piece of shit passed, of course. Glenn Greenwald says the same as above.

[I]t is still difficult to understand the Democrats' strategy here. They failed to try to mount a filibuster because they feared being attacked as coddlers of the terrorists. But now they are going to vote against the bill, thereby ensuring those exact accusations will be made, and loudly (the White House already started today). Yet at the same time, they absented themselves the whole time from the debate (until they magically appeared today) and thus lost the opportunity to defend their position. They make this same mistake over and over.

10 seats in the House maximum, 4 in the Senate.

UPDATE II: Pro-torture Democratic Senators:

Carper, Johnson, Landrieu, Lautenberg, Lieberman, Menendez, Nelson (Fla.), Nelson (Neb.), Pryor, Rockefeller, Salazar, and Stabenow

Be proud, New Jerseyans. Be proud.

I will donate to any primary challenger any of these dickweeds ever draws, provided I can afford it and provided it's not illegal. Hell, I'll contribute to their Republican opponents if they make a stink about this in particular, though I think that's very unlikely.