Durbin's Passion

Jill Zuckerman writes in today's Chicago Tribune about Dick Durbin's "passion."

Dick Durbin's passion ignites foes' ire

The Illinois senator's charged attacks on Republicans inspire his party while firing up his critics--and he's not backing down

By Jill Zuckman
Washington Bureau
Published June 17, 2005

WASHINGTON -- With his unassuming Midwestern demeanor and genial bearing, Dick Durbin is no one's vision of a political street fighter.

Yet Illinois' senior senator--who is growing in stature as a national Democratic voice and a font of strategic and communications advice for a party eager to regain its footing--found himself on the receiving end of Republican outrage this week.

In a speech on the Senate floor Tuesday, Durbin read aloud from an FBI agent's detailed e-mail complaining about the mistreatment of an Al Qaeda prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba.

"If I read this to you, and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags or some mad regime--Pol Pot or others--that had no concern for human beings," Durbin said.

By Thursday, conservatives' anger at what they portrayed as a comparison between the U.S. and some of history's most murderous regimes was boiling.

I guess one person's passion is another person's sedition.

Zuckerman writes her story as if Durbin is being victimized by the "boiling" mad conservatives.

This poor, genial Midwestern guy has people angry at him because he voiced his "passion."

That's ridiculous. It wasn't passion that Durbin exhibited on the Senate floor. It was a revolting betrayal of the men and women of our military and an indignity to the millions who were murdered under some of history's most detestable and savage regimes.

Durbin's passion. What a joke!

Would Zuckerman characterize Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot as passionate?

Besides Durbin's words themselves, the most disgraceful aspect of this entire thing is the Democrats' unflinching support of what he said.

That is the Democratic Party's vision of our military. That is how they characterize our national soul--akin to Nazis, the Soviets, and the Khmer Rouge.

To my knowledge, no Dem currently holding office has criticized Durbin. That is unconscionable.

Think of how Republicans reacted to Trent Lott's comparatively mild remarks said at an event honoring Strom Thurmond. Of course, Dems jumped all over Lott and Republicans withdrew their support for him to remain the majority leader. In this case, Dems are cheering Durbin on or remaining silent. According to the offices of my senators, both Dems, they have no comment on Durbin's remarks.

Do you want to be associated with a party that condones such anti-American, outrageous statements? Can you, in good conscience, support a party that shares Durbin's views?

For years, we've heard the nutjobs on the left--the Michael Moore, Hollywood, MoveOn crowd--rant and rave, calling Bush "Hitler." Now, it's not only the Bush administration that's evil incarnate. It's the military. It's America.

Worse, this rhetoric is not just coming from the loony liberals. It's the opinion of the party as a whole. It is who they are.

Until the Democratic leadership condemns Durbin, I am assuming they have no problem with what he said.

REPREHENSIBLE.