Gardner Votes To Let Saudis Keep Bombing Yemen

12 Comments

by: Colorado Pols

As the Denver Post’s Justin Wingerter reports:

Colorado’s U.S. senators split Wednesday over whether to end America’s involvement in Yemen’s civil war.

Sen. Michael Bennet, a Denver Democrat considering running for president in 2020, voted in favor of a resolution ending assistance to Saudi Arabia in Yemen. Sen. Cory Gardner, a Yuma Republican, voted against the resolution, which passed the Senate 54-46…

After Democrats took control this year, the House passed a similar measure in February, with only one Colorado member, Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado Springs, opposed to the resolution. Two other Colorado Republicans, Reps. Scott Tipton of Cortez and Ken Buck of Windsor, joined all four Colorado Democrats in support of that resolution.

Sen. Cory Gardner (R).

First of all, it’s universally expected that President Donald Trump will veto this resolution once it reaches his desk, and based on the vote in the Senate there aren’t enough votes to overturn that veto. But two factors combine to make this a morally questionable position for Sen. Cory Gardner to take–the growing condemnation of civilian casualties in the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen’s ongoing civil war, and anger over the role of the Saudi crown prince and government in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year inside a Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Like so many other hot-button issues Gardner has tried to have it both ways on relations with Saudi Arabia, claiming support for an investigation into Khashoggi’s death but unwilling to back up that concern with criticism of Saudi Arabia that might jeopardize relations with our “key ally”–let alone votes that might actually motivate the Saudis to be more forthcoming, like voting to end support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen.

It looks like once again the action to match Sen. Gardner’s lip service will have to wait for another day.

12 thoughts on “Gardner Votes To Let Saudis Keep Bombing Yemen”

davebarnes says:

March 14, 2019 at 11:45 am

Where does the GOPer base stand on this issue?
Can they even find Yemen on a globe?

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1. PodestaEmails says:
  
  March 14, 2019 at 11:49 am
  
  Against Iran, unlike traitor Democrats.
  
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  1. unnamed says:
    
    March 14, 2019 at 11:56 am
    
    With Putin. Just like Traitor Trump.
    
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  2. Voyageur says:
    
    March 14, 2019 at 11:57 am
    
    But for Putin and willing to sell out Syria to Russia, right Poddy? Are you guys going to put Benedict Arnold on the ticket in 2020? There is, after all, some shit Pence won't eat.
    
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    1. unnamed says:
      
      March 14, 2019 at 11:59 am
      
      They don't need Benedict Arnold. They already have Benedict Donald.
      
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    2. RepealAndReplace says:
      
      March 14, 2019 at 3:33 pm
      
      I believe Pence will eat just about any shit his wife tells him that the Lord Jesus wants him to chow down.
      
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  3. RepealAndReplace says:
    
    March 14, 2019 at 3:32 pm
    
    Stay the course, Senator. Some day the Saudis will thank you.
    
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  4. MADCO says:
    
    March 14, 2019 at 7:06 pm
    
    Fuck you and Iran.
    
    If the so called President isn't going to bomb Iran – shut up. Cuase he's the same as Obama and Bush and Clinton and Bush. At least Reagan sold Iran weapons.
    
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2. MADCO says:
  
  March 14, 2019 at 7:05 pm
  
  there is no demographic (veterans, middle eastern history majors, yemeni refugees) that culd find Yemen on a map.
  
  In th e80's Congress stood up and passed laws that made things like Iran Contra illegal.
  It didn't stop Iran Contra – but at least we got convicted felon Oliver North on the radio.
  
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  1. MichaelBowman says:
    
    March 15, 2019 at 6:11 am
    
    …which gave him the cred to run the NRA.
    
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JohnInDenver says:

March 14, 2019 at 5:40 pm

It is going to be interesting. War Powers Act allows for a concurrent resolution — which does not need a Presidential signature — to cancel out Presidential deployments.

I was reading a national security paper which said that "legislative vetoes" had not been upheld in other situations, but there was a stronger argument when there was a "power of the purse" action by BOTH chambers (as will be the case with Yemen). The paper concluded the issue is likely to be taken to courts, and there would be questions about Court interference with such a political issue, and if the Courts accepted it, how they would come down in a "balance of powers" test like this one.

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1. MADCO says:
  
  March 14, 2019 at 7:08 pm
  
  omg- no one, and mean no one serious wants to send US forces to Yemen. Venezuela or Graneda, even Cuba – sure.
  But not far away.
  
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