Posted on 12/19/2010 6:26:29 AM PST by Palmetto Patriot
Saturday's historic Senate vote on repealing the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy was notable for who was there - and who wasn't.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., skipped two votes on DADT and one on the immigration DREAM Act bill. The junior senator from West Virginia had a long-planned family holiday party to attend Saturday and couldn't make it to nearby Washington, D.C. for the votes, his spokewoman told The Charleston Gazette.
"While he regrets missing the votes, it was a family obligation that he just could not break," Sara Payne Scarbro told the newspaper."
Instead, Manchin's office issued two statements indicating that he would have voted against DADT and the DREAM Act.
Manchin was elected and sworn into office last month to complete the term of the late Democatic Sen. Robert Byrd. Ironically, Byrd took great pride in rarely missing votes even as his health declined. It wasn't unusual for Byrd to be wheeled into the Senate chamber so he could vote.
But other senators, who had reasons not to show up Saturday, did. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., an observant orthodox Jew, was present and actively engaged in the DADT debate despite his faith's resrictions on working on the sabbath.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., was there despite recently being diagnosed with prostate cancer and scheduled for surgery on Monday. That didn't stop him from delivering a passionate defense for repealing DADT.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.mcclatchydc.com ...
He gets to say he was against both bills while not having to vote that way.
A Zer0 in the making, he is.
Yep, Lucy pulled the football on the WV voters yet again. Maybe they should just go ahead and make Charlie Brown the state mascot!
IIRC, Lieberman has used his religion as an excuse to be absent, in the past. Plus, he was, by definition, NOT being observant yesterday.
This might actually be the best you can expect from a “Blue Dog Democrat”.
WV finds out what they voted for. Congrats, idiots. You have another chance to throw this loser out. Do the right thing next time, won’t you?
Joe the Weasel II.
Even if this guy is telling the truth, try this act at your job and see what happens. To be honest with you we are a bunch of lousy bosses.
That article explains things.
Joe is an evolving Weasel.
Isn’t not voting for or against a bill equivalent to voting against it?
That's about as lame as the "Omaha Steaks" response. In fact that may take its place along with other Obama era cop outs like "passing it to find out whats in it" etc.
I like to read other articles before I post so I can get a picture of what is going on...
Yes.
And it is also equivalent to voting for it.
Welcome to WeaselWorld!
2010 was a rehearsal, 2012 will be opening night... (Jaws theme)..
I’d call him a RINO but we haven’t converted him yet. /sarc
This is absolute BS. How the heck do these people get away with not doing their jobs? There is no family 'obligation' that outweighs the responsibility to do what you were elected to do. Family 'obligations' can be changed, postponed, or rearranged. Don't they go on vacation in the very near future here anyway?
All the congress critters need to be sexually assaulted by the TSA and to be run through a drug test daily.
LIEberman is an observant orthodox jew like Pelousy is a devout catholic.
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