Wake Up

Unlike many of his Democratic colleagues, Senator Robert C. Byrd actually speaks out against the misguided policies of the Bush administration.

Truth has a way of asserting itself despite all attempts to obscure it. Distortion only serves to derail it for a time. No matter to what lengths we humans may go to obfuscate facts or delude our fellows, truth has a way of squeezing out through the cracks, eventually.

But the danger is that at some point it may no longer matter. The danger is that damage is done before the truth is widely realized. The reality is that, sometimes, it is easier to ignore uncomfortable facts and go along with whatever distortion is currently in vogue. We see a lot of this today in politics. I see a lot of it — more than I would ever have believed — right on this Senate Floor.

For a long time I thought of Senator Byrd as someone who was interested only in bringing as many federal dollars as possible to his state, but over the past few years he has shown more than once that he is willing to stand up when it counts. If only the rest of the Democratic Party felt the same way.