moveon blew it with this move..

by Frank James

The Senate approved, by a 72 to 25 vote, a symbolic, Republican-initiated resolution condemning the recent MoveOn.org ad that called Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. "Betray Us," with 22 Democrats voting with the Republicans.

The resolution, introduced by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) as an amendment to a defense authorization bill, had this statement of purpose:


"To express the sense of the Senate that General David H. Petraeus, Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq, deserves the full support of the Senate and strongly condemn personal attacks on the honor and integrity of General Petraeus and all members of the United States Armed Forces."

That official statement didn't mention MoveOn but it didn't have to. Everyone knew it was directed at the liberal group that has provided a lot of volunteers and donations to Democrats in recent years.

It was a vote meant to demonstrate the genuine outrage felt by many lawmakers, and not just Republicans, at the personal attack the ad represented on a widely respected military leader during war time.

But it didn't hurt, from the GOP's perspective, that it helped burnish the party's pro-military image and that it put Democrats in a difficult position politically since MoveOn.org has become an important force in Democratic Party politics.

Ever since the ad ran last week, Republicans have demanded that Democratic presidential candidates renounce the ad and MoveOn.org. The Democratic candidates have refused to publicly criticize MoveOn.org though Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) said the ad was wrong.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) had offered an alternative to Cornyn's resolution that meant to support the troops without singling out the Petraeus ad and, by implication, MoveOn.org.

The statement of purpose of her resolution read thusly:


Read the rest and lots of WHINING comments at...
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news...org_for_g.html

NAYs -—25
Akaka (D-HI)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Byrd (D-WV)
Clinton (D-NY)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Levin (D-MI)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Murray (D-WA)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

Not Voting - 3
Biden (D-DE)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Obama (D-IL)