Paul Craig Roberts, as conservative as they come, has once again written an impassioned and brilliant essay on the relationship between habeas corpus—our right under the Constitution not to be detained (as in "imprisoned") without charge—and the very notions of democracy and freedom.

You may have heard that Lindsey Graham, Republican Senator from South Carolina, introduced and had passed an amendment that strips the right of habeas corpus from any soul that George Bush decides to label an "enemy combatant." It does this by forbidding the federal courts to hear a habeas application by the unfortunate detainee.

Roberts writes,

Nothing more effectively undercuts the image that Bush paints of America as the land of freedom, liberty and democracy than the Republican Party’s destruction of habeas corpus.

Habeas corpus is essential to political opposition and the rise and maintenance of democracy. Without habeas corpus, a government can simply detain its opponents. Nothing is more conducive to one party rule than the suspension of habeas corpus.

It is heartbreaking to watch the Republican Party overthrow the very foundation of democracy in the name of democracy. The name of Lindsey O. Graham, Republican senator from South Carolina, the sponsor of this evil legislation, will go down in infamy in the book of tyrants.

Let us hope that this insult to all decency can be reversed before Sen. Lindsey Graham's name can sink any lower in the ideological cesspool he represents. He doesn't deserve the fame of infamy.

Two days ago filmmaker John Cusack came up with a timely quote from Churchill—

The power of the Executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgment of his peers, is in the highest degree odious and is the foundation of all totalitarian government whether Nazi or Communist.

It is time for people on the so-called American Left to pay attention to some of the conservatives in this country. Roberts is as alarmed by the direction taken by the Bush administration as any on the Left can claim. And, at least in the South, many ordinary voters who label themselves conservative really have a much more nuanced position, though they've been conned by the Republicans into adopting the conservative label. Liberals need to listen and connect wherever possible.

Meanwhile, Senator Graham is eager to hear from you—

Senator Lindsey O. Graham
290 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-5972
Email: Contact form

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8:51 pm

I should have mentioned that Graham's amendment could not have passed without the support of 5 Democratic Senators. They are—

• Joe Lieberman, Connecticut
• Kent Conrad, North Dakota
• Mary Landrieu, Louisiana
• Ben Nelson, Nebraska
• Ron Wyden, Oregon

These people are so overdue their retirement.