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According to news sources, Donald Trump, a private citizen who now holds no public office, has instructed Republican members of Congress to sink a widely agreed upon bipartisan compromise on immigration and border security apparently because he wants that issue for himself when campaigning for the presidency. Mitch McConnell, Republican leader in the Senate, is quoted as saying Trump’s instruction and the situation has put him in a “quandary.” I wonder if our own senator, Republican Susan Collins, finds herself in the same quandary.
Maybe we can help. According to the dictionary, a quandary is a state of perplexity, like, “Gee, I dunno what to do.” The senators and their colleagues have taken a sacred oath to defend and protect the Constitution. There is no mention in that oath of acceding to the wants, or catering to the biases, of fellow professional politicians, however influential they may be. Yes, of course, that puts them under pressure. We get that.
They should try this: Step out of their office in the Capitol, walk along Constitution Avenue across the Potomac River into Virginia to Arlington National Cemetery, sit in the grass and inhale the abundant courage of those who lie there with them. Then cast their vote.
Stefan Nadzo
Eastbrook
