Democracy at work

Cowardly senators duck Iraq $s vote 
By Al Neuharth       Posted 11/6/2003 8:59 PM

The exclusive club called the U.S. Senate has 100 members. This week
94 of them ducked and ran before a pre-arranged voice vote gave
President Bush the $87.5 billion war check he wanted.

The six senators who had the guts to stay around to voice a vote: 
• Robert Byrd, D-W.Va.
• Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I.
• Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.
• Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii
• Harry Reid, D-Nev.
• Ted Stevens, R-Alaska
Among the six, Byrd shouted a loud "No!" The other five voted "Yes." 

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., is an admired acquaintance
of mine. Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., is a longtime respected
friend. But both were wrong in agreeing to the cowardly voice vote so
senators didn't have to go on record on the controversial bill.

Republicans who favored it were afraid constituents might think the
price is too high. Democrats against.........

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http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/neuharth/2003-11-06-neuharth_x.htm