Playing with numbers

According to the AP, the evil Senate Republicans voted today to block key legislation that would have overturned the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy.

WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked legislation that would have repealed the law banning gays from serving openly in the military.

Oh, really? The way I understand it, that amendment is tied to the defense spending bill, which doesn't require the supermajority. Any 51 senators can write it into law, and the Democrates have 57 at last count. If they want to pass it, all they've got to do is bring the whole bill to the floor and have at it. But then, they couldn't blame the evil Republicans.

Democratic Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor of Arkansas sided with Republicans to block the bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., also voted against the measure as a procedural tactic. Under Senate rules, doing so enables him to revive the bill at a later date if he wants.

Harry Reid himself voted against it. But it's the Republicans who are blamed in the article.

Here's the deal. The Democratic party holds majorities in both the House and Senate. If they want a bill passed, all they've got to do is to pass it. Especially a spending bill, which doesn't require 60 votes. The simple fact is that they haven't even passed a budget this year. They're afraid to pass a budget this closely to the upcoming elections. They're afraid that the electorate might hold them accountable.

And, the headline from the AP shows that they're still carrying their water. All the editors at the AP should be fired.

I'm holding them accountable regardless. The entire Congress is filled with quivering cowards and idiots. The simple math shows that the Senate and House both have enough votes to get this done. But they don't want to do it.