Democrats Fail To Get Cloture On Anti-Surge Resolution Again

This time, of course, the media is reporting this rejection of cloture by saying that the Senate “won’t vote” on the resolution. You’ll remember that the last time the Senate rejected cloture on an anti-surge resolution the spin from the left and Democrats was that Republicans had “voted against debate” on the subject.
Which was total horsepucky then, just as it would be now.
The Republicans simply blocked this resolution from passing, for various reasons. Some because they flat-out support the surge, and others because they want amendments added to the resolution or alternatives to it considered. Ether way, saying that this vote (or the one before it) was one to cut off debate on the resolution is total nonsense. The Senate has done almost nothing but debate this topic for pretty much the last two weeks.
But regardless, the truth is that this was a blow for Democrat anti-war efforts. They can’t get this resolution passed in the Senate, and the same resolution passed in the House with much less support than Democrats had anticipated.
Senator Lindsey Graham sums up why this is a colossal waste of everyone’s time:

“Democrats are afraid to cut off funding,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said.
“If you believe this is a lost cause, and victory can’t be achieved, that our people are in the middle of a mess, a civil war and not one person should get injured or killed because we’ve made huge mistakes … then cut off funding, have a vote on something that matters,” he added.
Graham called the resolution “political theater.”

Indeed. Political theater on war issues that has played out while our troops are fighting and dying in that war. And while our President is busy instituting policies to win it.
These folks in Congress should be ashamed of themselves.
Update: More from Hot Air:

The only Republicans to vote with the Dems last time were Coleman and Susan Collins. Joining them today: John Warner, Olympia Snowe, Arlen Specter, Chuck Hagel, and Gordon Smith. Not voting: McCain, who was out campaigning, Lisa Murkowski, Bob Bennett, Thad Cochran, Bob Corker, Kit Bond, John Ensign, Jon Kyl, Orrin Hatch, and of course Tim Johnson, who’s still recuperating from his stroke. All are Republicans except Johnson. Reid was hoping to get Lamar Alexander and Larry Craig to cross the aisle, since both are up for reelection in two years and were rumored to be wavering, but he couldn’t pull it off.

Reid is putting the best spin he can on it…

“Today, a bipartisan majority of the United States Senate voted against the President’s flawed plan to escalate the war. The Senate joined the House of Representatives, put itself on the record, and told the President that America needs a new direction in Iraq. As for the Republicans who chose once again to block further debate and protect President Bush, the American people now know they support the escalation.
“Today’s vote against the escalation is not the end of this Iraq debate in the Senate. This war is too important to permit Senate Republicans to brush it aside. The Bush Administration’s failures have put our troops and America in a deep hole, and it is time for this country and this Congress to climb out. The Republican Leadership can run from this debate, but they can’t hide. The Senate will keep fighting to force President Bush to change course.”

…but Sen. Graham puts him in his place:

“If you did have this vote, the left, the radical left, would eat every Democratic presidential hopeful alive.”
“The hard left wants out of this war yesterday,’’ Graham added. “And two-thirds of this body understands the hard left is dead wrong.”

That won’t be how the media portrays it, unfortunately.