Republican Senators Prevent Debate On Iraq Resolution

Republicans in the Senate have blocked debate on a resolution opposing the so-called president's plan to throw away more troops in the quicksand that is Iraq.

The vote was 49-47 in favor of debating the issue, but the 49 votes were not enough because 60 votes would have been required to enable the debate to proceed.

If 60 “yes” votes had materialized today, the Senate would have opened debate on a resolution sponsored by Senators John W. Warner, Republican of Virginia, and Carl Levin, Democrat of Michigan, that opposes the president’s plan to add about 21,500 troops to the American force in Iraq.

Chuck Hagel voted with the Democrats.

Joe Lieberman voted with the Republicans,

asserting that a debate on the Warner-Levin resolution would hurt the morale of American troops and embolden their enemies.

“What will it say to our soldiers?” [Lieberman] asked.

Just off the top of my head ...

It would say that they are risking their lives to defend a country in which free debate -- especially on matters of life and death, war and peace -- is still valued.

It would tell them that the system of government they are supposedly protecting -- with its famous checks and balances -- is not yet completely dead.

It would tell them that there are powerful people back home who are serious about getting them back home too.

And it would tell them that if they're lucky, they might not actually die in Iraq.

Lieberman's questions are too easy. But he has a point.

After all, if all these things are false, why should the Senate tell our troops they're true?