Class II Roll Call

As a public service announcement, I am posting the links to all of the Senators in Class II, those who will stand for reelection in 2008.

We face a crucial time in our history, and the 22 months between the convening of the 110th congress and the 2008 election will be perhaps the most critical in our nations history. These men and women face choices that will decide not just their futures, but all of our futures.

Watch their votes carefully over the coming months.

Democrats

Max Baucus, Montana;
Joseph Biden, Delaware;
Richard Durbin, Illinois;
Tom Harkin, Iowa;
Tim Johnson, North Dakota;
John Kerry, Massachusettes;
Mary Landrieu, Louisiana;
Frank Lautenberg, New Jersey;
Carl Levin, Michigan;
Mark Pryor, Arkansas;
Jack Reed, Nevada; and
John Rockefeller, West Virginia.

Republicans

Lamar Alexander, Tennessee;
Wayne Allard, Colorado;
Saxby Chambliss, Georgia;
Thad Cochran, Mississippi;
Norm Coleman, Minnesota;
Susan Collins, Maine;
John Cornyn, Texas;
Larry Craig, Idaho;
Elizabeth Dole, North Carolina;
Pete Domenici, New Mexico;
Michael Enzi, Wyoming;
Lindsey Graham, South Carolina;
Chuck Hagel, Nebraska;
James Inhofe, Oklahoma;
Mitch McConnell, Kentucky;
Pat Roberts, Kansas;
Jeff Sessions, Alabama;
Gordon Smith, Oregon;
Ted Stevens, Alaska;
John Sununu, New Hampshire; and
John Warner, Wirginia.

GATES CONFIRMED

Well, the Senate rolled over en masse. In committee yesterday, Iran-Contra wasn't even mentioned; and Gates was up to his eyeballs in that little circumvention of Congress and usurpation of power. Absence of evidence is not the same thing as absence of guilt. (If you don't believe me, just ask your local prosecutor.)

When the whole senate voted for confirmation today, only two senators cast "Nay" votes, and both were Republicans: Jim Bunning of Kentucky and the outgoing Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. Of course, Santorum didn't vote "Nay" because he surrendered to a wave of sanity; in fact it was quite the opposite.

Santorum said he thought Gates did not fully understand the dangers of “Islamic fascism” in the Middle East. (Gates may have issues that cause me to oppose him as SecDef, but misunderestimating the misnomer "islamo-fascism" isn't one of them). He also said that Iran and “its client state of Syria” were fomenting violence in Iraq, and that the Iraq Study Group’s recommendation to engage Iran and Syria was “a prescription for surrender.”

So we have a new Secretary of Defense. Pardon me for being underwhelmed by the Deciders choice.