A paltry four Republicans in the U.S. Senate have so far shown the backbone and constitutional wisdom to proclaim their opposition to President Trump's unjustified, in fact unjustifiable, declaration of a national emergency at the border.
Fortunately, that's enough to tip the upper legislative body's balance against Trump, seconding an overwhelming vote by the House and forcing the President to issue his first veto in order to repurpose duly appropriated money to build a wall.
Give Rand Paul of Kentucky, who more than any other senator claims to believe in limiting government power and asserting Congress' authority, for finally acting on his stated ideals. He joins Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Susan Collins of Maine.
Meantime, eight Republicans who purport to revere the Constitution, who routinely accused President Obama of vast executive overreach, are sitting on the fortified fence, unbothered by the razor wire cutting into their thighs. We see you, Mitt Romney, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and others. You look ridiculous.
And Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, whose sense of legislative entitlement under the last President was so strong he refused to give Obama's appointee to the Supreme Court a hearing, now prostrates himself on the carpet and invites Trump to put dirty footprints across his back. As do John Cornyn of Texas, Lindsey Graham and others.
They all know full well that there is no emergency; unauthorized border crossings are down. That a wall built without congressional authorization, seizing private property via eminent domain, will be profoundly illegitimate. That this is a dangerous precedent that could empower future presidents to discard the will of Congress anytime they see a crisis, from gun violence to climate change.
To them, principles are nothing. Partisan power is all.
