REPUGS DEFEAT A WITHDRAWAL RESOLUTION SO MODERATE AND FLEXIBLE THAT EVEN HILLARY, BIDEN AND BAYH VOTED FOR IT!

So here's the scoop. The Repugs are freaking out, sensing the party is over. Poll after poll after poll is showing that the voters-- their employers-- want us out of Bush's bullshit occupation of Iraq. The same polls show that the public has completely turned against the venal, incompetent Bush and the scandal-plagued extremist Republican leadership. So under mounting pressure from Senate Democrats-- after the utter failure of Bush's laughable attempt to defend the indefensible-- soon-to-be-indicted Bill Frist and John Warner introduced a resolution that mirrored the defeated Democratic resolution minus the key requirement for a tangible, albeit flexible, withdrawal plan.

The Democratic resolution was defeated 58-40 with one uber-endangered Republican joining almost all the Democrats voting yea and all the other Republicans voting nay. "Almost," you ask? There were Democrats that joined forces with the Dark Forces of Fascism on this??? Well, sort of... 4 right-wing jerks who are Democrats in name only-- the 2 atrocious Nelsons, Pryor from Arkansas and, of course, the Likkud representative to the U.S. Senate, Lieberman-- voted with the Republicans (as usual).

Well, at least there's a clear campaign issue for the Democrats now! Come 2006, 40 Senators are on record voting to ask Bush to draw up a plan to start withdrawing troops and 58 are on record as having voted against it. Meanwhile, if anyone had any doubt that Bush is a completely lame lame-duck, today's votes should dispel that permanently.

If you want all the details, the Reuters story is here and the actual Senate rollcall is here.