That title alone should send shivers down your spine.
It's been almost three weeks since I last wrote about the status of cosponsorship on the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007, a bill by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) that would "...restore habeas corpus for those detained by the United States." At that point, the legislation had 23 cosponsors -- 22 Democrats and Independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont -- and I thought I would check back in today and see who has stepped up to show leadership on this issue since then.
With the addition over the last couple of weeks of Senators Byrd, Carper, Klobuchar, McCaskill, Menendez and Nelson (Bill), there are 28 Democratic Senators, along with Sanders, cosponsoring Specter's S. 185, which could very well come up for a vote next week as an amendment to the Defense Department authorization bill. [..]
So I again raise the question: Where are the other Democrats?[..]
The following Democratic Senators have still not signed up to cosponsor the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007:
- Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
- Max Baucus (D-MT)
- Evan Bayh (D-IN)
- Robert Casey (D-PA)
- Kent Conrad (D-ND)
- Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
- Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
- Tim Johnson (D-SD)
- Herb Kohl (D-WI)
- Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
- Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
- Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
- Patty Murray (D-WA)
- Ben Nelson (D-NE)
- Mark Pryor (D-AR)
- Jack Reed (D-RI)
- Charles Schumer (D-NY)
- Jon Tester (D-MT)
- James Webb (D-VA)
- Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Again, I put it to you that it lies with us to pierce through the Beltway bubble. Please contact these Democrats (especially if you're in their district) and ask them why they have not gone on record restoring this basic civil (and human) right.
UPDATE: Poster Brendan reminds us that Sen. Tim Johnson is still recuperating from his brain hemorrhage and it would be unfair to castigate his lack of vote on this matter.
