John Walsh

Once again the Republican leadership in the U. S. Senate will try to convince us that in its zeal to keep the world safe for democracy a complete non issue needs to be urgently debated and acted upon by what used to be called the "World's Greatest Deliberative Body." No, its not the issue of gay marriage and whether the lack of a constitutional amendment banning it means the demise of the American family. That was the attempt a couple of weeks ago to get the Iraq War ...Once again the Republican leadership in the U. S. Senate will try to convince us that in its zeal to keep the world safe for democracy a complete non issue needs to be urgently debated and acted upon by what used to be called the "World's Greatest Deliberative Body." No, its not the issue of gay marriage and whether the lack of a constitutional amendment banning it means the demise of the American family. That was the attempt a couple of weeks ago to get the Iraq War off the front pages and talk about something hot and juicy to divert the base from its increasing disaffection with the dismal news which continues to come out of that benighted place. What is up for debate this week is the "burning" issue of whether the country's democracy will be saved by creating a constitutional amendment against torching a U. S. flag as a way of protesting government policy. Ever since the Supreme Court found back in 1989 that flag burning, which is offensive and reprehensible to most Americans, is constitutionally protected free speech, the Republicans have periodically put in on the agenda of Congress for debate and passage. It serves both to rally the right wing base and make vulnerable to charges of lack of patriotism those politicians who, though conviction, choose to oppose it.

This time the debate about flag burning is particularly welcome in the Senate because it will allow some thunderously patriotic chest beating to cover the echoes of last week's debate in which the Senate voted along party lines to allow no restraints on the conduct of the Iraq War when it came to reducing U. S. forces and getting people out of harm's way. While the righteous echoes of that debate were still ringing in everyone's ears, along comes Army Chief of Staff. General George Casey, with a plan to begin to reduce U. S. forces in Iraq starting in September and get most of them out of Iraq in 2007. It was substantially the same as one proposed by the Democrats in the Senate a few days earlier and soundly defeated by the sneering Republicans as "cut and run" politics. The patriotic protest we will hear this week against flag burning will cover up the echoes of last week's debate in which the open ended, rubber stamp given the Bush Administration by the Republican Senate to wage costly and disastrous war without oversight was again renewed.