A French saying that used to be in vogue decades ago may no longer
be in use today in France or elsewhere in the French speaking countries. But I
do remember it decades later because something (actually someone) keeps
reminding me of it. He is Lindsey Graham, a so-called member of the US Senate.
The saying goes like this: “C'est un échappé de la
Capote,” which translates into: he is an escapee from the condom. It is an
insult which means to convey the idea that the person is so bad, he was not
meant to be born. But he is here anyway because: While his parents were making
love using a condom, a defect in the condom caused the semen to leak and
fertilize the mother. And so, the world is stuck with the thing known as
Lindsey Graham, and we are condemned to live with it.
Of course, Graham is not the only so-called Senator deserving to
be thought of as an accident of fertilization; a number of others have earned
that label. For example, two notorious escapees are Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.
But the difference between them and Graham is that while the word 'escapee'
applies to all, Graham escaped the condom whereas the other two were born to
fathers that escaped a Communist regime they didn't like.
So then, what is there about Lindsey Graham that makes him an
undesirable sojourner in the midst of Life on Earth? To answer this question,
we need to recall what he is supposed to be doing as a member of the US Senate,
and compare that with what he is actually doing.
The American system of government was tailored after the British
system, which itself comprises a bicameral legislative assembly known as
Parliament. It is made of the Lower Chamber where legislation is initiated, and
the Upper Chamber where the appointed elder statesmen give the legislation
sober second thoughts, and approve it or recommend that it be amended.
In America, the system was slightly altered to have the two
chambers elected. And both were given the right to initiate legislation.
Whereas the name “Congress” refers to both chambers, it is used colloquially to
mean the House of Representatives; equivalent of the British Lower Chamber. As
to the American equivalent of the British Upper Chamber, it is called the
Senate. Each state in the Union is represented in the House by a number of
“deputies” commensurate with the size of its population. But to stress that all
the states (no matter the size) are equal, each is represented by two senators.
To complete the American system of government, there is the
Judicial system which is independent, and ranks as an equal branch. And there
is the Executive branch, which comprises among other things, the key
institutions of the White House, the Department of State and that of Defense.
Each of the three branches of government (legislative, judicial and executive)
has a mandate spelled out in the American Constitution.
For the sake of brevity, it suffices to say that the duties of a
senator compel him or her to preoccupy themselves with the concerns of their
state. As to the duties of the nation's President, they comprise foreign
affairs and the conduct of wars … once they are declared by the Congress and
funded by it. So the question to ask is this: Is Lindsey Graham fulfilling his
duties faithfully and letting others fulfill theirs? Or is he using his time
and the powers of his office, not to enhance the lives of his constituents, but
to exploit the resources of his country (America) to promote the interests of a
foreign entity (Israel)?
To find out, we consult two articles written lately about Lindsey
Graham. One was published on December 19, 2018 under the title: “Graham:
'Obama-like Mistake' for Trump to pull Troops from Syria.” The other article
was published on December 21, 2018 under the title: “Graham Demands
Congressional Hearings on Syria Troop Withdrawal.” Both were authored by
Mairead McArdle and published in National Review Online.
Here
is the essence of what Lindsey Graham said on December 19, 2018: “The decision
to withdraw troops from Syria would be a huge Obama-like mistake. He explained
that ISIS is not defeated in Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan. He added that an
American withdrawal will be seen as a boost to ISIS. It will undercut the
effort to contain Iran, and puts the Kurds at risk”.
And here is the essence of what Lindsey Graham demanded on
December 21, 2018: “...that Congress hold hearings on the decision to withdraw
from Syria, a move he strongly disagrees with. Known for his hawkish positions
on foreign policy, Graham said he needs to hear about the fate of the Kurds;
also needs to know if there is a plan to protect the allies. And he asserted
that America was paving the way toward a second 9/11”.
To speculate that someone will want to inflict on America the
tragedy of 9/11 is to wish (perhaps unconsciously, perhaps not) that such a
thing would happen ... whatever the hidden motive.
But even if such were not the case, Graham's constant use of fear
mongering as a weapon to usurp the powers of the Executive branch while
neglecting to serve his constituents as a senator, proves that the man is not
fit for the job.
Lindsey Graham should resign his post and register as a foreign
agent lobbying for Israel. The same goes for the Rubios and the Cruzes that
have contaminated America's system of governance by their persistent pretenses.