GOP=Gutless, Overblown Politicos (as usual)

For those who haven't yet seen: Here's a report on yet another example of the Republican party acting like spoiled brat assholes. In this case, Bill Frist, cat killer and Senate Majority Leader, worked with the rest of his charges in the Senate to delay a vote on an amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill that would have increased funding for veterans. FYI--this is the same bill that Lautenberg tried to amend to provide a means for honoring those killed in battle. So, the GOP position is: dishonor the war dead, and screw the survivors.

Anyway, it was deliberately and specifically delayed because John Kerry took time off from the campaign trail to return to Washington for the vote.

This is yet another attempt to smear Kerry, who, I'll admit, ain't my favorite politician. But goddamnit, if this keeps happening, I'll work on generating more enthusiasm for the Massachusetts Senator.

Yeah, Kerry's missed a lot of votes. Big fucking deal. Most Senate roll call votes are little more than show anyway--procedural items like amendments are where the proposed legislation is tested. Ever notice how final roll calls in the Senate run at something like 91-2? or 95-0? As for the volume of votes missed, well, I say to the GOP: shove it. You've got the majority--hell, this CNN article--conveniently moved to the archives--notes that the Republican party has consistently manipulated Senate votes to place Kerry in the worst possible light. As noted here, had he NOT shown up yesterday, vote or no vote, they would have used THAT to say he didn't care about veterans benefits.

In a similar vein, Atrios linked yesterday to a post at Digby's Blog regarding the ridiculous Slate attempt at "balance," i.e., Kerryisms--the heavier, weightier counterpart to Bushisms. Get it? A pox on both of their houses. Of course, what's missing from Slate's lame-assed series is any understanding of how the Republican attack machine operates--as Digby notes, "The truth is that the "caveats and curliques" that Saleton finds so remarkable are the result of a political environment in which Kerry is required to speak in extremely precise terms because if he doesn't, Ed Gillespie and his coven of shrieking talk show harpies will blast their faxes directly up his ass. (Ask Al Gore about that.) Bush, on the other hand, whom everyone knows is a total idiot, is applauded if he is able to string more than 5 words together without drooling on his tie."

Frist, (Massachusetts governor) Romney, the rest of the gutless blowhards, and even Bob Dole (for whom I ALMOST had about a milligram of respect), are now competing to see who can bark the loudest for Kerry to resign his Senate seat--as if no one has ever run for President while simultaneously serving in the US Congress. Hell, Dole didn't resign HIS seat the first three times HE ran--and in 1996 the move was seen as a desperate gambit (which it was), not a noble gesture. So, in my mind, Kerry ought to say the "looking presidential" equivalent of "FUCK Y'ALL"--gee, the y'all part might work down here...

And Frist should realize that the Senate isn't a sandbox--so stop acting like a child.