Democrats in the Senate have increasingly come forward to say that they would support the Republican strategy.
“I personally think the pipeline is absolutely in the national interest. It’ll help us reduce our dependence on foreign energy, at least foreign sources that are hostile to our interests,” Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said on the Senate floor earlier in the week. “I, for one, on this side would hope that this could be part of a final package.”
“I am proud to again offer my support for the Keystone XL pipeline and the jobs it will create,” said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, on the Senate floor. “We need a quicker decision, based on the merits of this project.”
Tester and other Democrats supporting the plan have said in the past that they care about Native American interests, but they have ignored that American Indians have played a major role in protesting the proposed pipeline path, saying it would harm the public health and cultural fabric of Indian country. Tribal leaders have also noted a lack of consultation on the 1,700 mile TransCanada project.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwor...a-reject-68152
The legislation passed the Senate Saturday in an 89 – 10 vote.
Given the Democratic signals of support for the plan in the Senate, Obama’s threat becomes all the more noteworthy because the GOP leadership likely has had enough votes in the House to pass the Senate plan.
Some Indians are especially concerned by the Democrats’ positions, given the fact that Democrats tend to count on Natives more than Republicans for votes.
One of the biggest concerns is perhaps that Obama will cave on his promised rejection. A tendency to over-compromise has been widely cited as a shortfall of his leadership skills during his presidency to date.
....i didn't realize that the senate had 89 republicans.
also, the state dept already signed off on the pipeline months ago. and therein lies the rub; obama is taking heat from a lot of folks because they figured he was about to approve it. he is-but he wants to wait til after the election so as to placate voters. well, avoid their wrath actually.
so, once again, workers held hostage due to politics. the state dept is saying they would need more time, but that's to study alternate routes, not because the initial plan hasn't been approved.