Menendez Votes For Detainee Bill Backed By President Bush

Credit where credit is due, Bob Menendez and Frank Lautenberg have voted in favor of American interests for a change. New Jersey’s two senators joined the majority to pass the detainee bill backed by President Bush for interrogating and prosecuting terrorism suspects. The vote was 65-34.

The folks over on Blue Jersey are beside themselves and on the blog’s one-year birthday too. A taste of the comments on the BJ post, I Am In Shock

[From a letter to Bob Menendez] I am disgusted and ashamed. Your vote on the torture bill today proved that, no matter what your ads and spokespeople might say, you have become an example of exactly what the Democratic party can not afford right now - a political opportunist.

Yes, Menendez is a political opportunist and always has been, but at least the pressure of an election caused him to vote for rather than against the preferences of a majority of his constituents.

This is a Republican bill, passed by the Republicans against the votes of the majority of Democrats. Let's not lose sight of that. And what happened to Max Cleland. The bill is not designed to allow torture and detention -- that is happening anyway -- but rather to give Karl Rove an issue in November to accuse Democrats of being weak terrorist sympathizers.

Gotta love the BDS and Karl Rove as the motivation for a much needed bill. But, people should keep in mind this line of thinking when they vote in November. If Democrats controlled the senate we would probably have a terrorist bill of rights and a catch and release policy.

If true, I'm out. That's it. No more pro-Menendez posts. No more getting Lautenberg's back. No more money to any one of these spineless un-American bastards. No more volunteering. No more phone calls. Whats the freaking difference?

These folks don’t handle diversity of opinion well.

I can't in good conscience vote for Menendez now. :( What are the odds this is all some sort of horrible clerical error? How could so many Democrats have voted for this monstrosity after Hillary Clinton gave such a good speech?

Maybe the senators didn’t buy into all the hysterical nonsense about the bill and decided using interrogation techniques that have disrupted terrorists’ plots, saving countless American lives, is the right thing to do. Maybe, they enjoy a seat in the Senate and would like to be reelected.

I'm not going to write a letter to Menendez and Lautenberg's Senate offices. Instead, tomorrow morning I'm going to call up the campaign office I've been volunteering with, and tell them that I won't be in for a week -- not because I'm too busy, but because I'm ashamed of this vote.

Oooh, a whole week – that’ll teach him.