While the House of Representatives marked the passing of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher last week, the Senate has yet to do the same.
Citing Republican sources, The Daily Caller has reported that this is because New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez — the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — has objected to some of the language in the resolution proposed by Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
On Tuesday, Menendez proposed his own version, which is very similar to the resolution proposed by McConnell, except it strikes out four paragraphs and adds two of its own.
Among the paragraphs omitted in the Menendez version that was in the McConnell version is a Thatcher quote about destroying “democracy by terrorism.”
Whereas Baroness Margaret Thatcher in 1984 survived an assassination attempt by the Irish Republican Army in Brighton, United Kingdom, and declared that ‘‘all attempts to destroy democracy by terrorism will fail’’;
Other paragraphs in the McConnell version removed in the Menendez version:
Whereas Baroness Margaret Thatcher in 1982 led United Kingdom efforts to liberate the Falkland Islands after they had been illegally invaded and occupied by the Government of Argentina;
Whereas Baroness Margaret Thatcher in 1983 supported the deployment of United States nuclear cruise missiles at United Kingdom bases and the deployment by the United States of short-range nuclear missiles in Europe when there was stiff opposition to her doing so;
Whereas Baroness Margaret Thatcher defended United Kingdom sovereignty within the European Economic Community;
Menendez also added two paragraphs not in McConnell’s original version:
Whereas Baroness Margaret Thatcher was an unrelenting advocate, despite obstacles to the United Kingdom’s political, economic, and strategic interests and those of her allies;
Whereas Baroness Margaret Thatcher renewed and grew the influence of the United Kingdom in world affairs;