You wanted a political vote, Republicans?
You got one. Tuesday, the day after the mutilated, tortured bodies of two American soldiers
were discovered, Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson offered a nonbinding resolution condemning the notion that an Iraqi government would ever grant amnesty to those who have "attacked, killed, or wounded" our military men and women.
Sounds good, right? You would think that Nelson's "sense of the Senate" resolution would have passed unanimously, with senators from both sides of the aisle coming together to oppose granting amnesty to those who have wounded or killed our brave soldiers.
Wrong. While the measure passed by a 79-19 margin, it's important to note who voted against our troops, in favor of those who would torture and kill them. Nineteen senators.
Nineteen Republicans.Nineteen Republicans that support granting freedom to those who mutilated and murdered Pfc. Kristian Menchaca and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker. Nineteen Republicans that support giving a free pass to anyone who attacks our troops. Nineteen Republicans that support Iraq's thriving insurgency more than they support our soldiers. The commercials ought to write themselves.
The
list of pro-torture, pro-mutilation, pro-murder Republicans reads like a who's who of right-wing hypocrites. You've got Tom Coburn, who once
said, "I favor the death penalty for abortionists and other people who take life." You've got John Cornyn, another terror advocate who recently
justified violence against judges. You've got Lindsey Graham, who
considers it against U.S. interests to discuss the mistakes we've made in the war, but apparently in the U.S. interest to pardon war criminals. You've got Trent Lott, who's "
not a fan of Secretary Rumsfeld" but apparently
is a fan of those who torture Americans.
And you've got John McCain.
Former prisoner of war John McCain. The same John McCain whose
amendment setting limits on detainee interrogation the White House vowed to ignore. And now, the same John McCain who opposes degrading treatment of our detainees but would support granting freedom to those who not only degrade American detainees, but also
kill them. McCain should know better. So, too, should the remainder of the 11 Republicans with military service who, in effect, voted in favor of those who would have done them grievous harm. Granting freedom to war criminals who tortured and killed American troops represents a dereliction of duty. Not only that, but it's also un-American.
I suppose this type of anti-American behavior by Republicans shouldn't surprise me. After all, we're talking about the same Republican Party whose senators
couldn't even unanimously agree that it was a mistake for Congress not to do more about
lynching. Don't be fooled by the "unanimous" vote. Bill Frist forced a voice vote, a vote at which only six members were present.
Why? So his caucus didn't have to go on the record as being objectively pro-lynching. Fully 15 Republican senators, accordingly, didn't cosponsor the measure, despite the fact they could have done so
after the fact. At least Sens. Thad Cochran, Cornyn, Michael Enzi, Lott and Craig Thomas had the moral consistency to not only support lynching in the South, but also support torture and murder in Iraq.
On a personal note, I'm glad Ohio's senators aren't among the un-American 19. That said, if you live in Arizona, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina or Wyoming, you can be proud that your senators - both of your state's senators - support the torture, mutilation and murder of American soldiers. Some point of pride for five states that each voted for President Bush in 2000 and 2004. Some comfort for those calling each state's military installations home. Congratulations, your senators support amnesty for war criminals. Doesn't
that fact just warm your hearts?
Nelson's
resolution couldn't have come at a better time for America. With the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and an impromptu presidential visit to Iraq behind them, the Republican Party seemingly had the momentum on its side. With the fall's elections in mind, House Republicans tried their hand at their own nonbinding resolution, this one rejecting a timetable for pulling out of Iraq as not being in the national interest. The House measure was a partisan ploy intended to help the Republicans paint Democrats as being more on the side of al Qaeda than America this fall.
While the House resolution was little more than right-wing rhetoric, the same can't be said for Nelson's Senate resolution. Those voting with America's interests in mind were from both sides of the aisle. Those voting against America's interests, however, were from only one side of the aisle.
The Republican side. Make no mistake, the next time you hear your Republican friends, relatives, pundits or politicians boast of how much they support the troops, kindly remind them that more than a third of their party's senators more accurately support their torture, mutilation and murder. Terrible crimes against Americans in Iraq?
Republicans own it.