Wow.

Just when you think the GOP Senate obstructionists can’t sink any lower, they do. Brandon Friedman at VetVoice posed the question: “Will Senate Republicans Vote Against the Troops?”

We have our answer. Yes, the Senate Republicans did vote against the troops.

Mitch McConnell and his fellow Republicans have basically been filibustering every bill til the oil companies get what they want. But, surely, they wouldn’t put the oil companies over America’s defense needs when we’re in the middle of two wars??? Wrong. They did. Seriously, they they filibustered a bill, S. 3001, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009, which, among other things, provided pay raises for troops, health care and protection from IEDs. The bill needed 60 votes. Thirty-eight Republicans voted NO against moving forward. Harry Reid (who voted no for procedural reasons) had this to say (via email):

“As has been their hallmark this Congress, Bush-McCain Republicans have once again run away from an important debate, failing to back up their words with action. Despite their strong rhetoric on supporting our troops, they have refused to give them a well-deserved pay raise, denied our troops mine-resistant vehicles to keep them safe and said no to ensuring our servicemen and -women get the health care they need. “It is this kind of misplaced priorities that is making America less secure. Our military readiness is down, Afghanistan is slipping further into violence, Pakistan remains in crisis, and Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri are still on the loose nearly seven years after 9/11. The Iraq war is not only costly, but President Bush and John McCain have provided no plan for responsibly ending the war and returning to the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban.

The Republicans are despicable. But, it pays. Siding with the oil companies worked financially for John McCain:

Campaign contributions from oil industry executives to Sen. John McCain rose dramatically in the last half of June, after the senator from Arizona made a high-profile split with environmentalists and reversed his opposition to the federal ban on offshore drilling. Oil and gas industry executives and employees donated $1.1 million to McCain last month — three-quarters of which came after his June 16 speech calling for an end to the ban — compared with $116,000 in March, $283,000 in April and $208,000 in May.

Now, the GOPers are putting their oil interests over America’s soldiers. Sick.