Byrds Of A Feather

Christopher G. Adamo

Liberals are amazingly quick to bestow titles and honors upon one another. Among the best examples is Senator Joseph Lieberman, (D-CT), whom they frequently credit as the "Conscience of the Senate." But Lieberman's occasional display of moral clarity, exemplified by his one-time criticism of the Hollywood counterculture, has ultimately proven to be something he can switch on and off like a light bulb, as required by the prevailing campaign strategy of the moment. During his vice-presidential bid, he completely toned down criticism of the entertainment industry, but has since denied that he ever wavered on his stance. There's liberal "conscience" for you.

Another gleaming liberal icon, who proves himself to be totally unworthy of any great regard, is West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd, credited by his Democrat colleagues as being a noble "defender of the Constitution." Somehow, Byrd was not to be seen or heard as the Democrat leadership trashed the judicial confirmation process during the filibuster of Bush nominee Miguel Estrada. And only a few years back, Byrd engaged in the sort of posturing that was all too typical among Democrats during the Clinton impeachment charade. At that time, he sought to retain his perceived dignity by chastising Clinton for his multiple abuses of the executive office, but in the end voted to acquit the President, thus allowing the pattern of corruption to go unchecked.

Now however, Byrd has found his voice, expressing heart wrenching concern for the fabric and foundations of America and its standing in the world. And as usual, he has done so just in time to direct his diatribe against a Republican President. In a melodramatic speech delivered on the Senate floor on March 19, he contended that by standing firm for the conditions of Iraqi disarmament imposed at the end of the first Gulf War, President Bush has irreparably damaged Americas image in the eyes of the world, as well as its own moral standing. In contrast, Byrd showed a comparatively tepid degree of concern, when faced with the damage inflicted on America's prestige by a philandering president who did his best to turn the White House into the national brothel.

Proving himself to be a caricature of eloquence, Senator Byrd lamented, "Today I weep for my country." He further contended that, "The case this administration tries to make to justify its fixation with war is tainted by charges of falsified documents and circumstantial evidence," proving that he, like Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), is willing to give a murderous middle-eastern tyrant more credit for believability than the President of the United States.

No weeping was heard from Byrd when former President Bill Clinton employed cruise missiles against Iraq, Sudan, and Kosovo, not in any effort to save lives or bolster the security of the American homeland, but as "weapons of mass distraction", primarily intended to keep Monica Lewinsky and Juanita Broderick out of the headlines. Nor did Senator Byrd ever initiate any worthwhile effort, other than some occasional "lip service", in response to the former president's regular thrashing of the Constitution through perjury and other blatant abuses of executive power.

In an even more outlandish example of his sanctimonious hypocrisy, Byrd voiced concerns over the possible duration and expense of the war. Somehow, such professions of anxiety over government spending ring completely hollow, coming as they do from the man known best as the father of federal pork. Making such statements, Byrd sounds as genuine as those liberals who lamented the wastefulness of a $40 million investigation into Clintonian malfeasance, while they would easily squander untold billions on any number of failed social programs.

Though the mere discussion of such antics seems to lend them a degree of credibility, which they do not deserve, it is nonetheless worthwhile to identify these all too frequent examples of liberal pretensions and hypocrisy. If unchecked, they will continue, as they have done for years, to take stands that are in complete contradiction with those they previously professed, without any regard for their glaring philosophical and ethical inconsistencies. And only by persistently highlighting such behavior can their inherent moral and philosophical bankruptcy be widely confirmed.

Somehow, Senator Byrd's crocodile tears belie the true nature of the present situation, though perhaps tears are in order. In consideration of the affront to decent Americans represented by his outrageous statements, as well as Senator Tom Daschle's before him, the crying shame is that such individuals still hold public office.

Growing up during the turbulent decades of the ‘60's and ‘70's, Christopher  Adamo saw, to his dismay, the nation's moral foundations being destroyed  before his very eyes. But even then he was a staunch Conservative at heart,  and rejected outright the tenets of America's counterculture revolution.

 After a hitch in the Air Force, where he specialized in airborne  electro- optical systems, he pursued a career in the field of aerospace,  working for major defense contractors in California, Florida, and Colorado. But his career plans abruptly changed during the industry-wide downsizing that followed the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

Presently he is working in the field of industrial instrumentation in the state of Wyoming. Concurrently, he has become involved in that state's political process, attending state GOP conventions as a delegate, and serving as a member of the Wyoming Republican Central Committee. He has also aided in the candidacies of local legislators and state senators, as well as a U.S. Senator and Congresswoman.

From 1993 to 1996, he edited and wrote for “The Wyoming Christian”, the state newsletter for Christian Coalition of Wyoming. During that period, he developed an acute awareness of the harm being done to Conservatism by liberal activists within the Republican Party as well as the Democrats. This remains a favorite theme of his articles, which now appear as a regular feature on GOPUSA.