Did anyone really believe there was a chance Senator Susie was going to vote for DADT repeal? [see update below]

UPDATE AND CORRECTION: 

Susie actually voted for cloture -- though by then it was dead in the water

"If you knew Susie, like I know Susie . . ." Oh, you mean the Susie who "has a perfect reputation" but in reality is someone quite different? "Oh, oh, what a girl!" This seems an appropriate moment to call Mr. Eddie Cantor to the witness stand.

by Ken

This recently in, via the NBC News Political Unit's "First Read" blog:

Key vote on 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' repeal fails

Carrie Dann writes: A key procedural vote on the bill containing a repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy failed Thursday, likely dealing a final blow to advocates who hoped to overturn the 17-year old ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military during this session of Congress.

Democrats needed 60 votes to advance the Defense Authorization bill for debate on the floor. The vote failed, 57-40.
Ultimately, Majority Leader Harry Reid called for the vote without having reached a procedural agreement with moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who supports repeal but wanted greater openness for the process of amending and passing the bill. Collins voted aye on the measure, but other Republicans who support repeal but had voiced similar procedural concerns -- Sens. Scott Brown and Lisa Murkowski -- voted no.

One Democrat, newly-elected Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, broke with his party to vote no.

The result means that repeal of the ban, enacted in 1993, is unlikely to be changed by Congress anytime soon. The policy is also currently being considered in court proceedings. . . .

Let's see, there was Mean Harry Reid, who was singlehandedly blocking DADT repeal (and the defense authorization bill that went with it), because, well, I guess because that's just the kind of defense-hating meanie he is, and he just wouldn't let the Republicans make a political spectacle of the defense bill (and of course in the process kill DADT repeal anyway). And then there was the tax-cut mess, which the Republicans insisted had to be resolved to their satisfaction before other matters could be given attention. One thing after another made it impossible for Senator Susie to say that yes, she was going to vote for cloture to pave the way for DADT repeal.

What the sincerely well-motivated, hard-working toilers for DADT repeal seem never to have grasped was that Senator Susie was playing them, that she wasn't the path to those few extra votes they needed, she was the roadblock that could never be overcome. Those poor folks were so excited to be on the inside of "inside politics" that they had no idea they were bit players in her latest melodrama of a Maverick's Principled Stand. Oh, her office treated them so well, while Senator Harry's treated them so rudely. She must have been their ally, and Harry their enemy.

It would take an awful lot to persuade me that there was ever any possibility that Senator Susie was going to actually cast a principled vote in this session of Congress, on DADT or anything else. Susie likes to talk principle, but doesn't like nearly so well doing principle.

I mean, if DADT repeal depends on the courage and convictions of a negotaiting team made up of Joe Lieberman and Simple Susie, well, wasn't the ballgame over right there? Even with Holy Joe apparently genuinely desiring DADT repeal. Even when he's on your side, he's the same lying, unprincipled, treacherous bum. Whereas our Susie apparently loves being the center of attention, and can always find new saps and suckers for her act. As I've said before, I'm prepared to believe that she herself is one of the people she's most intent on fooling. Her conscience would be much easier if she could believe that she's really the principle-driven independent senator she likes to play on TV.

She's not. The voters of Maine had the opportunity in 2008 to throw her out on her crooked ass in favor of an outstanding candidate, then-Rep. Tom Allen. Apparently they like to be fooled too.

OH, AND BY 

THE WAY . . .

Way to go, Senator Manchin!

We had a pretty good idea this was what the country was getting. Better than a Republican? Well, we guess, yeah, sorta, but jeepers, it's a close call. What a fine way to honor the man you replaced in the Senate, Bobby Byrd!

Kind of the way all those Republican "friends" of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy honored their fallen friend during the health care debacle. Except that they're actual Republicans, so what would you expect?


UPDATE: LIEBERMAN AND COLLINS OFFER
STAND-ALONE DADT REPEAL BILL

The Lieberman-Collins team is proposing a stand-alone DADT repeal bill. I suppose we should give them credit for trying, though I remain deeply skeptical of both. Of course none of the bogus GOP arguments about lack of amendment and debate opportunities for the defense authorization bill apply, which I assume is the basis for the theory that enough votes can be mustered to impose cloture in the Senate.

But it's all academic. As a stand-alone bill, it no longer matches the already-passed House amendment form, and therefore would have to be re-passed by the House. As long as the bill (theoretically) passsed by the Senate is voted on in identical form by the House, no House-Senate conference would be required. Clearly a bill having to go through conference at this stage has, realistically no chance in the 111th Congress. But realistically, I don't see that there's any prospect of lame-duck House passage either.

Perhaps we'll see otherwise.

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