I realize that letter writing is but a grain of sand on the beach of protest. But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do and get it off your chest. So go do it now if the spirit moves you too.
Herewith, my letter to Senator Hagel, submitted via his site and inspired by BooMan23's recent diary on the Republicans' capitulation on the NSA wiretapping scandal.
Letter on the flip....
Senator Hagel:
Shame on you. I had held out hope that "independent" Republicans like yourself and Senator Snowe would have had the moral fiber to stand up to the Bush administration and demand a full and complete inquiry into the clearly illegal NSA wiretapping program. Senator Rockefeller's motion for a complete investigation deserved your support; it called for Congress to not only do its job, but to do the right thing.
Your capitulation to the most criminally destructive administration in history proves but one thing: you clearly value party over country. How incredibly sad it is to witness this in someone who fought so bravely in Vietnam.
So how are we are to interpret your December 2005 statement expressing your "profound concern" over the eavesdropping program when you said it was "critical" that the Senate hold hearings? Was that just posturing for the media? Have you decided now that is it acceptable to lie to the public just because that's what the executive branch does? I can only shake my head in disbelief when i reflect on how far we have fallen as a country to have people like you as our elected representatives. It boggles the mind and deeply saddens the heart.
I can't imagine what would compel you to toe the party line on this issue other than a craven desire not to cut off the Republican support machine in advance of your rumored Rresidential bid in 2008. If you had anything remotely resembling a conscience, you would have supported Rockefeller's motion for a full and complete inquiry into the NSA program. And if you were truly the type of strong leader you must imagine yourself to be to even consider running for the Presidency, you would have taken the initiative and filed a similar motion yourself.
History will judge you and your fellow Republicans who can't muster the courage to stand up against tyranny. And that judgment won't be kind. Unfortunately for the rest of us, the damage done by your cowardice may be irreparable.
Sincerely,