State House Welcomes Dubya, Minus One “Whereas”

I find it comical that the Texas State Legislature, already under the gun to pass some much-needed legislation, is picking its way through a minefield finding some way to pass a resolution to welcome our ex-president back to The Lone Star State, and express words of appreciation for his service.

Apparently you can thank him for too much.

Witness the change of wording between HCR 62 authored and sponsored by a whole raft of Republican state reps, a resolution that was withdrawn by its chief author, Doc Anderson (R – Waco), and the resolution to replace it, HCR 168.

Here is the relevant text that received the bulk of the editing in HCR 62:

“WHEREAS, President Bush created the Department of Homeland Security and transformed the military, the intelligence community, and the FBI; he oversaw the development of new antiterrorism tools that have been instrumental in breaking up terrorist plots and preventing another attack on American soil; and . . .”

[Emphasis mine]

Here is the edit in HCR 168:

“WHEREAS, Throughout the remainder of his first term and continuing through his second, President Bush made national security his highest priority; he created the Department of Homeland Security and transformed the military, the intelligence community, and the FBI; and . . . ”

Now here’s the thing. There are lots of us out here on the left who are screaming for some accountability. We want to know who is responsible for putting our country in the same category as Nazi Germany, North Korea and Vietnam (when we were enemies): countries that torture their prisoners.

We want whoever these people are to be found, tried and punished.

And apparently the authors of HCR 62 found the culprit. The very one they are welcoming back into the bosom of The Lone Star State. The one that they are thanking for doing this.

Don’t you just love Texas Republicans? In their ardor for their former leader of the free world, they wind up getting at the truth: Bush oversaw the whole thing.

So that was pointed out to them. By Democratic State Rep Lon Burnam by the way.

And HCR 62 was pulled and will be replaced by HCR 168.

Now here’s the thing. Wouldn’t it have been better to keep mum and let the Republicans send this to the floor for an up or down vote? Then have it pass by 76 Aye and 74 Abstain?

That would have at least gotten the opinion of the Texas legislature on record about who was responsible for what in regard to torturing prisoners.

Oh well, I guess we’ll have to wait for the Attorney General.

Or the Spanish.