U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill found herself in some unsavory company last week when casting her “yes” vote for a supplemental appropriation that provides $97.8 billion more for the war in Iraq.
Voting “yes” for more war funding – without a timeline for troop withdrawal – were Republican U.S. Senator Kit Bond and Republican U.S. Representatives Todd Akin, Sam Graves, Roy Blunt and Kenny Hulshof. The only Democrat from Missouri in the U.S. Congress other than McCaskill who voted for the funding – which has been bashed by Democratic voters who thought that the new Congress had heard their “out of Iraq” message at the polls – was U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton.
U.S. Rep Jo Ann Emerson, a Republican, did not vote.
Voting the will of most Democratic voters were U.S. Representatives Wm. Lacy Clay, Russ Carnahan and Emanuel Cleaver, all Democrats. Like U.S. Senator and presidential hopeful Barack Obama, Clay has the distinction of having opposed the war in Iraq from vote one. Clay said of the bill that McCaskill, Skelton and the Republicans voted for last week:
“It does nothing to move this tragic and unnecessary war towards a swift and responsible conclusion, which is what the American people expect us to do.”
Somewhat ironically, McCaskill was touring the state’s VA hospitals when contacted for a comment. She said, “While I believe we should begin redeployment of combat troops out of Iraq immediately, I am not willing at this time to risk the safety and well being of our soldier on the ground in Iraq. I will join my colleagues in continuing to push for the necessary Republican votes that we must have to force this president to recognize that our men and women are now target practice in the middle of an Iraqi civil war. I’m hopeful we’ll have the votes necessary begin to get our people out when we revisit this issue again in September.”