December 16, 2005

The PATRIOT Quadrille

Hatched by Dafydd

My head is spinning.

On Tuesday, in Patriot Paroxysms, I opined:

All eyes turn now to the Senate, where the biggest problems lurk. Those problems are named John Sununu (R-NH), Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), Susan Collins (R-ME), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Lindsay Graham (R-SC), and possibly Arlen Specter (R-PA) -- though it looks as though Arlen is satisfied with the deal cut in the conference committee to reauthorize the most controversial provisions for an additional four years... basically, to kick the can down the road a bit more, leaving it up to the 111th Congress in 2009 to figure out what to do about it.

The next day, receiving new information, I amended my previous testimony in More PATRIOT Doubters:

Today, Tom Bevan suggests we need to add Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Larry Craig (R-ID) to that list. I actually haven't heard for certain how Chafee, Collins, and Snowe are leaning; last I heard, Graham seemed to have serious reservations.

But now, courtesy of the Washington Times Insider (and a hat tip to Captain Ed), we learn the actual group of Republicans who have announced they're willing to join the Democratic filibuster against renewing the Patriot Act, unwilling to allow these horrible depredations against civil liberties to continue (anti-American ravages such as tapping not just a single phone number but a particular person and all the phones he uses, or allowing the FBI to check whether some suspected terrorist with an American bank account is sending money to Abu Sayaf -- dreadful, dreadful):

Four Republicans -- Sens. John E. Sununu of New Hampshire, Larry E. Craig of Idaho, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska -- said yesterday that they will join Democrats in opposing the legislation, even helping block a final vote on its passage.

Well at least I was right about John Sununu.

This, by the way, is the unanswerable answer to the question of why Bush doesn't just "push a conservative agenda through Congress." There are always a critical number of supposed Republicans who, for whatever quirky, narcissistic, or reality-challenged motivation, decides to go to the mattresses fighting against the Bush agenda -- which happens to mirror the agenda of real America.

So far, our delicate Senate flowers who cannot stand the heat of a robust conservative platform include Arlen Specter (judges), John McCain (judicial filibuster, ANWR), Lincoln Chafee (judicial filibuster, ANWR), Susan Collins (judicial filibuster, ANWR), Olympia Snowe (judicial filibuster, ANWR), Lindsay Graham (judicial filibuster), Mike DeWine (judicial filibuster, ANWR), John Warner (judicial filibuster), John Sununu (Patriot Act), Lisa Murkowski (Patriot Act), Larry Craig (Patriot Act), Chuck Hagel (Patriot Act), Gordon Smith (ANWR), Norm Coleman (ANWR) -- and of course, the 44 Senate Republicans who voted for the McCain amendment on "torture."

Even assuming that 44 includes all of the above, that still leaves an additional thirty GOP Senators willing to look the American voter straight in the eye -- and spit. Fortunately, it's rare that the heartbleeders can overwhelm the wills of so many; typically, there are just enough betrayers to make the fight dicey, but not quite enough to cause Bush to lose.

This is the most remarkable thing about President George W. Bush: he has never, not even for a moment of his presidency, had a majority of conservatives in either house of Congress. Yet what amazing changes he has wrought anyway, from huge tax cuts to a complete change in consciousness about terrorism to a stunning recreation of the American military away from fighting World War II for a seventh time and towards a modern force; fighting and winning two major wars; removing a dictator and turning a long-term thrall-state into a democracy in just three years; forcing the Democrats into such paroxysms of rage (I like that word) that I expect at any moment, Sen. Harry Reid (D-Caesar's Palace) will stamp his foot so hard, the ground will open up and swallow him, like Rumplestiltskin.

In addition to those clear victories, Bush is working hard on an ownership society that would allow Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and pensions to be actually owned by the recipient, fully portable, and under his control. He hasn't achieved this goal yet, and he may never; but he's not giving up on it, either.

He has also shouldered a hole for faith-based organizations to be allowed inside the government tent (much as he shouldered a hole for his Secret Service detachment, when Hugo Chavez's goons tried to separate Bush from his bodyguards in Caracas).

He defused the Left on a couple of issues where I wish he had fought them instead. But I understand why he didn't; you simply cannot fight everywhere, on every issue: he supported a limited form of racial preferences in the Gratz and Grrutter v. Bollinger cases, arising out of programs at the University of Michigan undergraduate admissions and Law School, respectively.

And he pushed a prescription-drug benefit to Medicare. I oppose both of those; but at least he short-circuited the Democrats, who might have rammed through something much more egregious -- as we have seen, they're very good at peeling off a Republican here, a RINO there, and at least thwarting a conservative agenda.

I actually rather like Bush's compromise on stem-cell research (I think I'm in a minority of one here): personally, I would prefer full federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research lines; and pro-lifers would prefer no federal money at all used for that. Bush found a middle path that, while it satisfied no one, at least stymied both sides.

But the big problem remains: as Bush's term progresses, each Republican senator looks in the mirror, as the saying goes, and sees the next president of the United States. So he starts to craft his own foreign policy, his own strategy as Commander in Chief, his own judicial philosophy as appointer of robed wizards. And little clumps fall out every time the sun wheels from east to west, like a man losing his hair.

So far, in this case -- we were talking about reauthorizing the Patriot Act, in case you forgotten in all the excitement -- there are only four Republican defectors, and the Democrats either need two more to defeat the reauthorization (assuming no Democrat votes for it, and I think a number will) -- or else they need to be able to sustain a filibuster of the reauthorization bill. But if they do that, they will sear, sear into the memories of the American voters the catastrophic image of a peacenik Democratic Party that cares infinitely more about the civil liberties of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed than about the lives of American citizens in New York City and Washington D.C.

I suspect that in the end, Sen. Reid will find he cannot scrape together forty-one senators willing to go home to their constituents and explain why American lives are less valuable than terrorist sensibilities. And I'd be willing to bet that when it becomes clear the filibuster will fail, none of those four Republicans will actually vote against cloture.

So I think Bush and Majority Leader Frist should call their bluff -- but have Dick Cheney on hand just in case. And I still think that in the final analysis, Bush will actually win this one, balancing out his loss on the torturous McCain amendment.

Hatched by Dafydd on this day, December 16, 2005, at the time of 5:11 AM

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The following hissed in response by: KarmiCommunist

This, by the way, is the unanswerable answer to the question of why Bush doesn't just "push a conservative agenda through Congress." There are always a critical number of supposed Republicans who, for whatever quirky, narcissistic, or reality-challenged motivation, decides to go to the mattresses fighting against the Bush agenda -- which happens to mirror the agenda of real America.

America is a Nation Divided...

Humble me never Voted before the mid-terms of 2002, but do recall Bush “43” saying that he was a “Centrist” and “Unifier” during his run in 2000. i also recall the onslaught of blame, hate, lies, and child-like behavior that he was greeted with from America’s Leftists the moment he *WON* Office. Then came the Attacks of 911, and President Bush was confronted with a choice between siding/surrendering to the Attackers and their *SUPPORTERS* (includes the Democrat Party and *THEIR* MSM), or protecting America. W chose to “Protect America”, i then registered to Vote, and Voted in 2002.

So far, our delicate Senate flowers who cannot stand the heat of a robust conservative platform include Arlen Specter (judges), John McCain (judicial filibuster, ANWR), Lincoln Chafee (judicial filibuster, ANWR), Susan Collins (judicial filibuster, ANWR), Olympia Snowe (judicial filibuster, ANWR), Lindsay Graham (judicial filibuster), Mike DeWine (judicial filibuster, ANWR), John Warner (judicial filibuster), John Sununu (Patriot Act), Lisa Murkowski (Patriot Act), Larry Craig (Patriot Act), Chuck Hagel (Patriot Act), Gordon Smith (ANWR), Norm Coleman (ANWR) -- and of course, the 44 Senate Republicans who voted for the McCain amendment on "torture."

Americans need to Give-a-Pass to any of the above listed Senators if they are amongst the 15 contested Republican seats in 2006, and send them all a strong message by taking all 18 of the contested Democrat seats (18 includes retiring Jeffords) and giving them to Libertarians, or Republicans (if no Libertarian is running).

2006 is the perfect time to send all of America’s Politicians a message...get the job done, or get out of the way!!! Enough said...

BTW, Dafydd...a *GREAT* Post!!!

The above hissed in response by: KarmiCommunist [TypeKey Profile Page] at December 16, 2005 5:53 PM

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