Sen. Rand Paul introduced an amendment to the Defense Appropriations Act that would have struck the Authorization to Use Military Force in Iraq from the books. It got thirty votes. The Roll Call might surprise you. I know I’d be inclined to support such an amendment. But there may be some reasons why it would make things needlessly difficult. I honestly didn’t listen to a second of the debate, so I don’t know why senators like Sheldon Whitehouse, Jack Reed, and Barbara Mikulski opposed it. I take it that the Pentagon and the Intelligence Community didn’t want the AUMF repealed, but I don’t know how good of an argument they had.
A more important amendment was introduced by Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado. It received thirty-eight votes. You can read about the debate here. Anyone who voted against Udall’s amendment is a gutless coward who doesn’t deserve your support. Here are the cowardly bedwetting Democrats :
Bob Casey (D-PA), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Kay Hagan (D-NC), Dan Inouye (D-HI), Herb Kohl (D-WI), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Carl Levin (D-MI), Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Mark Pryor (D-AR), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
They’re all more afraid of Gitmo detainees than they are concerned about the integrity of our system of justice.
