Now that Republicans have persuaded Democrats and the media that the word "release" includes the concept of sending people to prison - which Harry Reid and 90% of the Senate (including dozens of Democrats) agree with - I think we should return the favor and explain what kind of people Republicans have favored "releasing" in America.
Tom Coburn favors "releasing" child molesters.
John McCain favors "releasing" rapists.
Orrin Hatch favors "releasing" killers.
Mitch McConnell favors "releasing" Bernie Madoff for his flagrantly illegal investment scheme(s).
George Voinovich favors "releasing" burglars. (Hey, he's retiring; I'll take it easy on him.)
Bob Corker favors "releasing" corrupt cops.
Judd Gregg favors "releasing" telephone-jamming political campaign operatives.
Richard Burr favors "releasing" people who bomb abortion clinics.
John Thune favors "releasing" people who commit hate-crime assaults.
Mike Johanns favors "releasing" drug lords.
David Vitter favors "releasing" prostitutes.
Jeff Sessions favors "releasing" pimps.
Kit Bond favors "releasing" war criminals. (Oops, bad example. Since Bond is a Republican, he may actually favor "releasing" war criminals in both the new-Republican sense and the standard sense of the word.)
Jon Kyl favors "releasing" car thieves.
You get the idea.
If "release" means what Republicans have whined to the media that it means - and incidentally, persuaded Harry Reid and much of the Senate Democratic caucus that it means, judging by the 90-6 vote this week - that "release" includes the action of "releasing someone into the hands of law enforcement for effective detention," then nobody should have any problem with the above list of Republicans who believe in "releasing" all manner of criminals.