On Sunday, Democratic presidential candidate/Illinois Senator Barack Obama said something about Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, without naming Grassley, as Obama called on Iowans to lobby Republican members of the US House and Senate to override the president’s veto on an Iraq spending plan that includes troop withdrawal timelines.
On Wednesday, Grassley said it wasn’t "senatorial" for Obama to come onto his Iowa turf and make such a statement.
On Thursday night, Obama said it again.
On Friday afternoon, Grassley’s press secretary issued a statement:
Following is a comment from me, Beth Levine, press secretary for Senator Grassley, in response to comments made by Senator Obama at his town hall meeting in Indianola.
“Sen. Obama’s comments yesterday renew the questions about his readiness. Overriding President Bush’s veto of a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq would have to take place first in the House of Representatives because that’s the chamber of Congress from which the legislation originated. It’s been demonstrated that the votes aren’t there to override that veto, despite the fact that the House is controlled by Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic Party. So, there isn’t an opportunity for a veto override in the Senate in this case and, as a result, there’s no way that Sen. Grassley holds a key vote. Sen. Obama might want to sign up for American Government 101 to learn about the veto process. Or, he could learn the job he has in the U.S. Senate before thinking he ought to be President.”
About O.Kay Henderson
Kay is a founding member of the Radio Iowa network newsroom. In 1994, she became the network’s news director. She’s a featured reporter and commentator on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press,” and the 2002 recipient of the Shelley Award.
Is it wrong to oppose a war that has taken over 3,400 American lives and countless thousands of honorable soldiers wounded in battle? Senator Barack Obama has the fortitude to speak out against the Republican minority in the Senate who blindly support the war in Iraq. It’s time to pass legislation in the U.S. Senate to set a timeline and bring our soldiers back.
Chuck Grassley needs to be “senatorial” and listen to the majority of Iowans who oppose the war in Iraq. Senator Grassley needs to understand the most basic legislative process – you are a representative of the people.