Kerry's speech yesterday on the Senate floor and his and McCain's bill

[karynnj]

I know this is not a popular topic - and I hate all the articles calling him and McCain "pro-war", when it really is more complicated than that, but it looks like Kerry and McCain are leading in trying with much of the leadership of the party to get a limited authorization for Obama's actions on Libya. I figured that these links should be somewhere in DU JK.

Here are the co-sponsors:
COSPONSORS(10), ALPHABETICAL : (Sort: by date)

Sen Blunt, Roy - 6/21/2011
Sen Cardin, Benjamin L. - 6/21/2011
Sen Durbin, Richard - 6/21/2011
Sen Feinstein, Dianne - 6/21/2011
Sen Graham, Lindsey - 6/21/2011
Sen Kirk, Mark Steven - 6/21/2011
Sen Kyl, Jon - 6/21/2011
Sen Levin, Carl - 6/21/2011
Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. - 6/21/2011
Sen McCain, John - 6/21/2011

Note this includes the Chair and ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, and the chair of the Select Committee on Intelligence, and the majority and minority whips. (An interesting omission is Senator Lugar, who has been opposed from day 1) Reid is supposedly in agreement and will fast track this to the floor.

Here is a link to Kerry's speech - near the end he discusses the limited nature of what they are authorizing - including specifically saying that no ground troops can be committed.
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/clip.php?appid=600145131

Here is McCain's speech. In it, he lists things he would have wanted included - but which are not included - because he had to compromise with the Democrats. http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/clip.php?appid=600145121 and http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/clip.php?appid=600145123 (don't understand why, but CSPAN has it broken it two parts.)

[elleng]

1. Thanks. Heard part of speech + was impressed.

[ObamaKerryDem]

2. Thanks for the links! Listening to JK's speech right now..

..I love how he called the GOP (and indeed perhaps some others..) out on their hypocrisy regarding authorizations and how this body (The Senate but indeed probably the House too..) "has behaved very differently depending in the President" when it comes to this. Excellent and IMO, virtually undeniable point. Also like how he made (IMO anyway..) a clear case for it being limited action (not full blown war). That's also an important point, one I feel has been rather lost in translation in all this when it comes to Libya especially.

JK is going to take some heat for this on the General forum though I bet and indeed McCain will likely draw heat from a certain element of his base as well (though they never liked him, so what's new? lol), a base that (in McCain's case) is suddenly dovish when Obama calls for military action of any sort...go figure!

[wisteria]

3. I have supported the President, Kerry and McCain on Libya and was happy to see this vote.

But, I can understand how others feel. I really do believe it is only a matter of time before MK is no longer leading Libya.