For the Democrats, the damn Hawaii contingent continued its efforts to declare Hawaii and Alaska as ‘special’. And Landrieu, who everyone should have undertood would vote for this, backed drilling.
In fact, Holy Joe decided to blast her when her position has been consistent for years. She played a smart move to get revenue shairing for coastal protection in Louisiana, but no one expected her to move off her previous votes for drilling. Holy Joe took a swipe at her anyway. I think she is wrong, but I also think Durbin is wrong on ethanol. I don’t have to run for office in Illinois and that’s the difference.
As senators were voting on Wednesday, Ms. Landrieu stood at the back of the chamber, talking to colleagues on both sides of the aisle with a conflicted look on her face. At one point, moments before she cast her vote, she tapped Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, a Connecticut Democrat who opposes drilling, on the arm and whispered to him. He said later that she told him she would be supporting drilling.
“I was disappointed,” Mr. Lieberman said. “I feel it personally.”
Hey Joe–you couldn’t have pointed out Specter’s vote? Or Santorum who is running in a swing state? Or Talent? Or Martinez?
No, you had to complain about the Democrat who has been consistent. As wrong as she is, you couldn’t help the Party out, but instead had to take pressure off Republicans who should have been held to account?
My frustration with Lieberman and Al From of the DLC isn’t ideological. I used to describe myself as a DLC kind of guy meaning I believed in free trade, market incentives in regulation and a respect for more traditional values than many in the Party argue.
My frustration with them and others is that they are happy to sell out Democrats as being imperfect, but don’t seem to take the time to argue that Republican policies are the real problem.
If Lieberman had taken the time to argue that the Republican Party was the problem and then made a small point about Landrieu, I could live with that. Instead he gave the Paper of Record the quote to define the issue for the next couple years.
That being said, the seven Republicans who didn’t vote for a giant giveaway to relatively small corporate interests deserve credit”
-Chafee, R.I.;
-Coleman, Minn.;
-Collins, Maine;
-DeWine, Ohio;
-McCain, Ariz.;
-Smith, Ore.;
-Snowe, Maine.
Coleman waffled previously ‘if he was the deciding vote’, but the other six have been strong opponents and deserve credit. DeWine and Smith usually are ignored, but have been very consistent and deserve more widespread credit.
ArchPundit