Cliff LyonMake Them “go to the diaper”
“Go to the diaper” is Washington-speak for a good ole fashion filibuster.
As you know, the House passed a bill last week requiring Pres. Bush to start withdrawing troops from Iraq within 120 days.
“If Majority Leader Harry Reid — who controls the Senate agenda — follows the “gentleman’s” agreement, he will take the Iraq redeployment bill off the table without a vote on the substance.”
I was not aware that, “In recent decades, there has been a “gentleman’s agreement” that old-fashioned filibusters are no longer required: If 41 Senators block a vote, the Majority Leader just moves on to other business. Where once the filibuster was reserved for matters of national importance where a minority stood on principle, now the ease of filibustering has made it routine.”
Miles Mogulescu wrote a great piece asking/telling Senator Reid to go for it.
Sen. Reid: It’s time to force the diminishing minority of Republican Senators who continue to support Pres. Bush’s failed Iraq strategy to “go to the diaper,” speak ’round the clock, bring cots and sleeping bags into the Senate chamber, as the American people watch them try to talk to death a vote on an Iraq redeployment bill that a majority of Americans support.
Sen. Reid: The filibuster can be an important protection of minority rights. It isn’t practical to require an old-fashioned filibuster every time the minority blocks a vote on a bill. But facing the most important issue of our time — and a stubborn minority that is blocking the Senate from voting on a solution — it is one of those times to ignore the “gentleman’s agreement” and make Republican war supporters stand up and filibuster the American people, if they dare.
Bring on the diapers.
July 16th, 2007 at 11:01 am
That expression seems to be an ironic play on the mafia phrase “go to the mattresses,” when you hole up in a hideout during a mob war. Of course, you have to factor in some senators’ predilections for diapers.
Seriously, there is a major unreported story in the fact that the GOP has been threatening a filibuster on practically every bill that comes before the Senate– and they never have to make good on the threat. The media just coyly reports that Democrats don’t have the votes they need to pass legislation.
July 16th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
BREAKING: via Talking Points Memo
More from Bob Geiger:
July 17th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
It was great seeing Lindsey Graham getting slapped around on “Meet The Press” last Sunday. Usually the show isn’t worth watching. It’s time the Democrats really started threating these thugs the way they deserve to be treated. Or as Robert Kennedy Jr. said at the very recent earth concert, [paraphrasing] “start treating them like traitors.”