I once had so much hope for Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
Remember last spring when the Senate had Rummy up on the hill to grill him on the Abu Ghraib scandal? I do.
On Friday afternoon, Lindsey Graham looked like he was going to jump up, fly across the table, and stick Rummy's microphone up his ear.
By Monday, Graham was on screen shaking hands with John Warner of Virginia and making nice.
I thought at the time that sure as shooting, the neocons had threatened to break his political kneecaps and he'd rolled over for him.
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And sure as God made little green apples, Graham is still carrying water for the neocons. He's the one leading the movement to deny Guantanamo detainees the right to a writ of Habeas Corpus, saying that it's not fair for the administration to be sued in the middle of a war.
I have to wonder if Graham understands that the Constitution specifically grants the right to suspend habeas corpus "unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it" to Congress, not the president, and that it doesn't allow for the legislative branch to transfer this power to the executive branch under any circumstances.
Then again, it probably doesn't matter if Graham realizes that or not.
He's just another good little Republican Senator who's sworn allegiance to Big Brother and the Holding Company.
How soon will his Pinnochio nose be as long as Pat Robertson's?
I frequently wonder how many horse heads are put into how many beds, or what the favored intimidation tactic is, when I see politicians do this. Video of the victim in bed with a live boy AND a dead girl? It must be something powerfully awful.
ReplyDeleteMcCain's an exception, I'm sure they promised him backing for Pres. in '08. The rest? Who knows?
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the knee capping is multi-layered. Pictures with boys in motels, stories of daughters doing fraternity parties, blah, blah, blah.
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Scott,
I thought the Congress action in Lincoln's case was pretty weak. Like you said, a limp attempt to preserve their own power. Kind of like the 1973 War Powers Act and the Resolution on Iraq.
And let's not forget the prohibition of bills of retainer!
ReplyDeleteNot sure right now what to make of Lincoln's move, or of the juciciary and legislative reaction to it.
Hard to imagine, today, that there was serious danger of the Republic actually falling apart.