On Wednesday, in a vote heavily along party lines, the House passed the Manage our Wolves Act 201-187. The vote effectively blocked all debate on the war in Yemen, and precluded that conflict from coming up for a future vote.
This is the second straight year that an attempt to challenge America’s unauthorized involvement in the Yemen War under the War Powers Act has been derailed by House leadership through last minute rule changes. This time, it required tying the rule change to a vote about gray wolves.
This led to a bizarre situation where they were debating the constitutionality of the Yemen War on one side, and the desire to shoot gray wolves on the other side. This was meant to give cover to lawmakers, to say they were voting because of the wolves instead of the unpopular Saudi-led war.
The close vote, and near universal 6-172 vote by House Democrats, may suggest that there will be a shift in a future vote on the Yemen War when the Democrats take over the House next year, though their leadership has been similarly inclined to let the wars go unchallenged in Congress.
The parties are the same………anyone ?
This war started under Obama. Remember???
Wiki “Yemen war” …read it….(pay attention to “background”)…then note Obama’s mistaken intervention…then, consider how many have died since the 2016 election while Obama has been drinking craft beer and windsurfing. Then, explain how Obama got all the Republicans to shut down this Yemen war vote.
Yeah, everything St. Obama had done was “mistaken” whereas everything Bush/Cheney did were evil. In reality, Obama’s Presidency can be called “Bushobama” presidency. What Bush the shrub had started, Obama had extended to a total 4 administrations. Obama had legalized, and in fact made efficient, what Bush had done (illegal spying on Americans, illegal drone killing in distant lands, war on whistle blowers, illegal and undeclared wars on 7 countries, bailing out Wall Street, making torture acceptable…..). He had even upped Bush by assassinating Americans (without due process), which I don’t think Bush had done.
I’ll agree that at any given time, sometimes the Dems may seem like the better option. But what people fail to consider is the trend. Over time, our country has been sliding downwards – to the point that Obama is considered a peace President (see my above, incomplete list of his actions). So look at the larger trend, rather than a single vote. And don’t forget that the two parties play a “bad cop/worse cop” game with us.
Are the two parties different? Certainly (for one, one of them is called Repug Party, an the other Democrap Party). The real question is: are these differences relevant? I used to be a Dem voter. But after looking back the last few decades, I have come to the conclusion that almost everything wrong with our country (unending and illegal wars, spying on Americans, government secrecy, wall Street over Mainstream, militarization of police, military industrial complex, etc.) has been a stellar bipartisan project.
And oh BTW, I have a longstanding question that nobody has answered yet. The question is: if both parties get their money from the same cesspool (Wall Street, MIC, AIPAC) what’s the rationale of expecting them to DO different things? I am not talking about rhetoric or short term tactics (bad cop vs. worse cop). But I am not holding my breath
And 100% of everything the two of them started CONTINUES unabated. Might as well be W’s 5th term. And we have had a fully republican Congress for 2 years that could have stopped ALL OF IT.
And Democrats had all the power after 2008 elections. Then mightily dragged their feet — asking us to feel sorry for them because their majotity was not filibuster proof. Then, with great joy they lost majority in midterms, and happily indulged in imperial rampage around the globe. When Hillary pressed the Reset button with Russia it was meant to be a joke. Russian language inscription in the bix was not Reset, but Overdrive. Obamas period was an apex of imperial overstetch, resultjng in global pushback on many fronts. Notably, Russia in Syria, getting directly involved in “war on terrorism” exposing the fake nature of our anti-terrir mission in Middle East. There is not mych debate in our foreign policy establishment — and many if our allies have similar establushment structure. Thus, voices that are for a pause and reassessment are drowned. Full steam ahead afainst obstinent Russia is on.
I’m sure Justin will address this issue in an upcoming post… Not!
wishful thinking – the formation of beliefs and making decisions according to what might be pleasing to imagine instead of by appealing to evidence, rationality, or reality. It is a product of resolving conflicts between belief and desire.
What does Justin have to do with this fiasco? You snark but speak in (insulting) riddles.
Justin (or you or me) doesn’t control either Party in Congress or dictate how votes are conjoined. Justin’s views on the Yemen war are well known (against).
What is disgusting is how politicians play these games to avoid responsibility for war and peace.
You snark about “wishful thinking” but other than expressing cynicism you offer no “evidence, rationality or reality” to which you claim to appeal. By all means, if you have some magic solution which ordinary mortals like Justin and myself have yet to discover, please let us know.
Justin has a man crush on Trump, period. Everything he writes these days attempts to portray Trump as some sort of libertarian peacenik. What a bunch of BS. It’s not true and Trumpsters like you know it. Wishful thinking?
Maybe trump will veto it so his boys can slaughter wolves ?
Still captive to party myths? Be thst Justin or anybody else, recognizing when the craks in the elite start deepening — is the only thing that offers hope. And Trump just happens — one of the accidents of history — to posses the personality of a wrecking ball, not even realizing the damage done to bipartisan carefully constructed narratives. Thus, he will enter history as the person who was the catalyst of change — for better or for worse. At a minimum he attacked the sacred cow of the bipartisan rule, mainstream media. It does not matter that his motives were not pure. Obama, by contrast was a classical establishment figure, seducing the progressive impulses in society, just to turn over the ONLY thing that still binds US establishment — foreign policy — to Clinton. No point defending or blaming. Establishment is defending itself, and the interests upon which it rests.
Yemen war was from the start American war, packaged Obama style in lead from behind format. All US assets are used there to shape the outcome of battle for Bab Al Mandeb. Drones, assasinations, naval blicade, special ops. All ours. And pitting UAE against Saudis — another strategy. But in thevend it may spectacularly blow into our face, as the divisions among Gulf states undermine all our objectives in the Middle East.
Now that Israeli Iron Dome has been proven ineffective — another worrysome crack has occured.
We may be helpless, but we have been thought an important lesson in democracy — it is individual’s responsibility to become informed. Parties, media, politicians all lie to protect their core interests. In short term may look insignificant — but the leaders in politics, finance, military or media/entertainment KNOW that their lies are no longer safe, that their credibility is shot. Thus is why they need an external focus. “Putin needs your vote”, screams from the front page of Newsweek. This is how desparation looks like.
“Yemen war was, from the start, an American war” No, there were sizable revolts against the Saudi puppet regime there starting in 2004. In 2015, it escalated to civil war, with Obama intervening horribly under the war on terror authorization. He owns that crime up until he left office, now, its trumps war, plain and simple.
Childish personal insults. You call me a “Trumpster” yet have zero idea of my voting or politics. If all you can do is rant and rave, please don’t bother the adults here.
Yes, that’s why the majority of one party voted one way while the majority of the other party voted the opposite. Because they are the same. So clever you are!
Yeah, everything St. Obama had done was “mistaken” whereas everything Bush/Cheney did were evil. In reality, Obama’s Presidency can be called “Bushobama” presidency. What Bush the shrub had started, Obama had extended to a total 4 administrations. Obama had legalized, and in fact made efficient, what Bush had done (illegal spying on Americans, illegal drone killing in distant lands, war on whistle blowers, illegal and undeclared wars on 7 countries, bailing out Wall Street, making torture acceptable…..). He had even upped Bush by assassinating Americans (without due process), which I don’t think Bush had done.
I’ll agree that at any given time, sometimes the Dems may seem like the better option. But what people fail to consider is the trend. Over time, our country has been sliding downwards – to the point that Obama is considered a peace President (see my above, incomplete list of his actions). So look at the larger trend, rather than a single vote. And don’t forget that the two parties play a “bad cop/worse cop” game with us.
Are the two parties different? Certainly (for one, one of them is called Repug Party, an the other Democrap Party). The real question is: are these differences relevant? I used to be a Dem voter. But after looking back the last few decades, I have come to the conclusion that almost everything wrong with our country (unending and illegal wars, spying on Americans, government secrecy, wall Street over Mainstream, militarization of police, military industrial complex, etc.) has been a stellar bipartisan project.
And oh BTW, I have a longstanding question that nobody has answered yet. The question is: if both parties get their money from the same cesspool (Wall Street, MIC, AIPAC) what’s the rationale of expecting them to DO different things? I am not talking about rhetoric or short term tactics (bad cop vs. worse cop). But I am not holding my breath.
Not defending Obama but he did speak out against torture. And W might not have offed any American citizens with drones but he did have Jose Padilla, a US citizen, held without charges and tortured until his mind was equivalent to a piece of furniture.
Your whataboutisms don’t change this house vote, at all.
“…to give cover to lawmakers, to say they were voting because of the wolves instead of the unpopular Saudi led war”.
And the lawmakers use the cover and the idiots buy into it and we go merrily along forever.
And, for those who believe voting doesn’t matter, if the GOP had kept the house, this vote wouldn’t have happened. The GOP would have voted it down next year.
The GOP has never had any intention at all of ending the war in Yemen. Not this year, not last year, not next year.
“We’re busy killing innocents and funding other who are murdering innocents, and we simply don’t want to discuss it.”
And this is immediately after the Khasshoggi disaster … In a few months, it would not even be a close vote. Just watch if the Dem majority next year passes the same resolution.
Republican congressional war criminals.
How disgusting. cover us in wof skins to shield us from the accountability of 3 million starving people and make $ from the weapons sales to the dictatorship that is the house of saud…Utterly and completely despicable.
Hey Justin, tell us all how Republicans are going to disrupt the war party by voting to protect war. Please, I could use a good laugh!
“Justin” didn’t write the article above. He writes elsewhere on this site. So when you are squalling like a baby about who should do your bidding here, at least get the author right.
Nancy Pelosi: “The conflict in Yemen has gone on for far too long, leaving a permanent stain on the conscience of the world. Yet, House Republicans just took sweeping, unprecedented action to undermine Congress’ solemn, long-established prerogative to limit the President’s war powers.”
Please give us Americans who support American values, not the #€£^# values of our welfare queens who rob our treasury & our vslues…. No, the Saudi war in Yemen is not our fight, especially on the side of the state that supported the pilots who felled our towers. ‘Wake up…!!!!!!!!!!! The Saudis are no ally, they are a terrorist foe…!!