The Company of Cowards

It was a company of cowards
I could tell by the way they ran

New Christy Minstrals song from the 1960's

The display of cowardice by Republicans in the U. S. Senate yesterday was as abject an act as I have ever witnessed. The Republicans on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence didn't just refuse to investigate the illegal, unconstitutional warrantless spying on American citizens. Story. No, they authorized it. The fear in their quaking little hearts at the mere thought of fulfulling their oaths of office to defend the Constitution was striking.

Here are the ignoble eight:

• C. Patrick Roberts, KS, Chairman - new nickname, "the little yellow stain of treason"
• Orrin Hatch, UT - sold his soul for a future nomination to the Supreme Court
  
• Mike DeWine, OH - payback for presidential support before a contested primary election
  
• Kit Bond, MO - explained his vote in favor of allowing the torture of prisoners by saying, "The last thing we want to do is put undue burdens on military and intelligence officials..."
• Trent Lott, MS - regarding the Abu Ghraib photos, "Nothing wrong with holding a dog up there unless it ate him..."
• Olympia Snowe, ME - Likes to call herself a moderate Republican, but whenever push comes to shove, she gets shoved. One of the weakest willed people in either house of Congress.
  
• Chuck Hagel, NE - The only one on the list who actually disappointed me. He has been strangely quiet, mute even. My gut tells me the threats made to him were pointed. This man's silence is a sign he is terrified.
  
• Saxby Chambliss, GA - once said, "turn the sheriff loose and arrest every Muslim that crosses the state line".

There is a bottom line to this. The United States Senate has been turned into the Roman Senate under Julius Caesar, a meaningless relic that is allowed to bloviate as much as they want as long as they don't attempt to actually do anything. More on this thought anon.