Friday, March 04, 2005
Time to Pack It In, Senator
Senator Robert Byrd, the Foghorn Leghorn of the U.S. Senate, is finally being called on the carpet for his most recent hyperbolic statements.
The Democrat from West Virginia recently said in reference to Republican efforts to change Senate rules on filibusters, "witness how men with motives and a majority can manipulate law to cruel and unjust ends. ... Hitler never abandoned the cloak of legality. ... He recognized the enormous psychological value of having the law on his side."
The Anti-Defamation League calls those remarks "hideous, outrageous and offensive." Adding, "The Senator shows a profound lack of understanding as to who Hitler was and what he and his regime represented."
Senator Byrd has been up to this sort of thing for years and if you've ever seen him, you get the impression that he's very pleased with himself. It's time, however, to send him back to the farm and call it a career. The insensitive reference is bad, but what do you say when his statement actually explains why the Senate rule is faulty? Its the Democrats with the crucial votes prevent the rule change who are manipulating the law "to cruel and unjust ends." They're the ones blocking nominations of judges from going to the full Senate where the nominees actually would win confirmation. By using the super-majority filibuster rule of 60 votes required to end debate, they effectively have stymied the Senate's "advise and consent" obligations. Wrapping themselves in a "cloak of legality" they obstruct what they cannot defeat by ordinary means.
So to paraphrase Foghorn, "I say, I say, I say, .... son, it's time you went back to the chicken coop and stopped all this foolin' aroun'. I say, I say."
The Democrat from West Virginia recently said in reference to Republican efforts to change Senate rules on filibusters, "witness how men with motives and a majority can manipulate law to cruel and unjust ends. ... Hitler never abandoned the cloak of legality. ... He recognized the enormous psychological value of having the law on his side."
The Anti-Defamation League calls those remarks "hideous, outrageous and offensive." Adding, "The Senator shows a profound lack of understanding as to who Hitler was and what he and his regime represented."
Senator Byrd has been up to this sort of thing for years and if you've ever seen him, you get the impression that he's very pleased with himself. It's time, however, to send him back to the farm and call it a career. The insensitive reference is bad, but what do you say when his statement actually explains why the Senate rule is faulty? Its the Democrats with the crucial votes prevent the rule change who are manipulating the law "to cruel and unjust ends." They're the ones blocking nominations of judges from going to the full Senate where the nominees actually would win confirmation. By using the super-majority filibuster rule of 60 votes required to end debate, they effectively have stymied the Senate's "advise and consent" obligations. Wrapping themselves in a "cloak of legality" they obstruct what they cannot defeat by ordinary means.
So to paraphrase Foghorn, "I say, I say, I say, .... son, it's time you went back to the chicken coop and stopped all this foolin' aroun'. I say, I say."
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]