Hate Crime Expansion Defeated in Senate

Basically, it was attached to an emergency spending bill funding Iraq, could not get the votes in the house, because about 30 Dems would not vote for a war funding bill under any circumstances.

This means that the bill is dead for this year, though I think that it will come up again next year.

I can't help but think that this is a shot across the bow of Pelosi, who has been rather timid compared to Reid on challenging Bush on Iraq.

Expanding the law to cover hate crimes against gays has to be a huge issue in her district, and it being pulled is going to result in her office catching hell from her constituents.

Honestly, I think the that Bush will veto anything that this is attached to anyway, so we need to wait for a Dem president, so the anti-war congressmen have made the right decision.