September 2006's "Profiles in Courage"

Senators John McCain of Arizona, John Warner of Virginia and Lindsay Graham of South Carolina -- Republicans all ... and Patriots par excellence

They stood up against President George W. Bush (not pictured, but you might just "picture" him after reading the fourth paragraph of the previous posting -- he's seated on the wheelchair to the right -- use your imagination -- seated across from Saddam Hussein in a wheelchair wearing FDR's winter cape and top hat -- all checked out legally from the White House Museum) on a matter of American principles and their military code of honor.

At issue, of course, was Mr. Bush's insistence that we "adjust" our laws to make his and his neocon handlers' past illegal detention and torture crimes "legal" (retroactively, I guess, although that aspect has never been clear to me).

Anyway, these three fine Senators -- all combat veterans -- "supported our troops" in a very meaningful way. They, together with all of the Democrats on the Armed Services Committee, voted in favor of a bill that rebukes the President (and the real power in the White House -- Cheney and Rumsfeld) and his/their plan to reinterpret the Geneva Conventions. The three Republican senators, at great risk to their standing in the party, correctly opined (see, I do actually watch Bill O'Reilly and now use "opined" rather than "believed") that if the US were to unilaterally reinterpret the Geneva Conventions, so might our enemies while holding our uniformed men and women as POWs.

It should be mentioned that former Secretary of State (under Bush and a Republican also) Colin Powell urged the President to drop this sad idea -- along with the entire military judicial leadership -- all generals, admirals and 06's (essentially, full colonels).

Of course, many of our enemies have broken the GC in the handling of American POWs -- as have we with detainees in both Iraq at Abu Ghraib and at Guantanamo. But we -- as leaders of the "free world," should set the standard, not our enemies!

Unfortunately, Bush has vowed to fight this one through and is taking his case to the "people," whom he believes will support him, thinking that he, as Commander-in-Chief has the right to rewrite international laws and conventions. Sadly, he may be right about having the people's support for his having his way on this. I have heard many "so called" patriots state on Fox News, in particular, that "supporting our troops" means "supporting the president" on matters relating to the military.

We should all weigh in on this with letters to our congressmen/women and Senators.


No, this is not within the guidance of the Geneva Conventions, Mr. Bush!