The spectacle of Cynthia McKinney making a non-apology apology for actions she does not even acknowledge doing makes it more imperative that, after indictments are issued by a federal grand jury, as it appears certain that they will be, President Bush should exercise his constitutional power to pardon her of these multiple federal offenses and call upon the House of Representatives to exercise its constitutional power and duty to punish its own members for misconduct.
The spectacle of Cynthia McKinney making a non-apology apology for actions she does not even acknowledge doing makes it more imperative that, after indictments are issued by a federal grand jury, as it appears certain that they will be, President Bush should exercise his constitutional power to pardon her of these multiple federal offenses and call upon the House of Representatives to exercise its constitutional power and duty to punish its own members for misconduct.
Compounding the words McKinney spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives was the way she approached the Capital itself. Although the Capital Police does an excellent job of protecting members of Congress from harm, she had a thuggish, threatening personal bodyguard accompanying her who threatened to “throw your ass in jail” when a reporter exercised his constitutional right to ask members of Congress questions.
This is not just bad; it is not just grotesquely bad; it is so bad that it is almost surreal. The goon at her side acted and behaved like the sort of person that the Capital Police should be arresting as a potential terrorist himself, and McKinney hired him to go with him into the Capital.
McKinney will claim, along with other House Democrats, that this is Republican “escalation” of a matter concerning which McKinney has already apologized, but, of course, in not really apologizing or admitting anything, McKinney herself compounds her crimes and in bringing a menacing bouncer along with her, McKinney again mocks the men and women who wear uniforms, submit to military discipline and lay down their lives to protect all of us.
What is clear is that McKinney has a barely concealed rage against America and this is precisely the fuel that feeds the Alec Baldwin, George Clooney, Howard Dean branch of the Democrat Party. It is the duty of House Republicans, who control the procedure of the House, to bring not an ethics investigation – what is there to investigate? – but a formal motion to censure McKinney as soon as the grand jury indicts her and the president pardons her.
This means an Article I, Section 5 action, and the constitutional language is clear: “Each House may determine the rules of its procedure, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two thirds, expel a member.” Is circumventing essentially security measures and slugging a police officer of Congress “disorderly behavior”? If it is not, then what is?
The punishment need not be severe, but the finding of the facts upon which the punishment is meted out must be explicit. McKinney ignored the same rules to protect our nation from terrorists that all the rest of us follow. McKinney physically assaulted one of the heroes who would have placed his life on the line to save her life from a terrorist. McKinney then flatly lied to the American people about this national security issue. McKinney seems genuinely without remorse for the wrongness of her actions and words. And McKinney brings a muscle-bound private body guard to threaten the press when journalists try to ask her questions, someone who purported to have police powers which he lacked, more evidence of genuine indifference to national security (Think what would have happened had he said that to airport police? He, not they, would have been in jail.)
The findings of fact need to be so tough that Democrats will squirm, waffle, propose compromises, urge moderation and all the other mousy things which Americans have come to expect of them when confronting genuine mendacity, real danger and the unmistakable scent of dangerous, irrational hatred.
Unlike the Byzantine legal issues surrounding alleged misconduct by Tom DeLay or Newt Gingrich, what McKinney has done this election cycle is very much like what Dan Rostenkowski did in the 1994 election cycle and what Gary Condit did in the 2002 election cycle. The brazen wickedness of Rostenkowski and Condit were indefensible to any Americans who have a literal, non-legalistic understanding of right and wrong.
Both men clung to power until voted out of office by constituents (unlike Gingrich and DeLay, who resigned or will resign from Congress.) Both received support from the Democrat Party, holding its nose, because they make prove crucial to gaining or holding power. Both became the poster child of the congressional campaign for Republicans. Cynthia McKinney, along with the roll call votes of her fellow Democrats on a tough censure motion, must become the poster child of the 2006 congressional campaign.
Bruce Walker has been a published author in print and in electronic media since 1990. He is a regular contributor to WebCommentary, Conservative Truth, American Daily, Enter Stage Right, Intellectual Conservative, NewsByUs and MenÕs News Daily. His first book, Sinisterism: Secular Religion of the Lie by Outskirts Press was published in January 2006.
Cover
•
Commentary
•
Books & Reviews
•
Climate Change
•
Site Links
•
Feedback
