By George Dienhart
Once again, Sen. Dick Durbin is making us all proud in Illinois. This time he (along with Harry Reid ) has decided to skip President Ford’s funeral. He has stated that plans for his trip to the nations of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru are locked in, and he can’t change them. Not even for the death of a United States president. While it is doubtful that he would ever skip the funeral of President Carter, evidentially President Ford is not important enough.
This is par for the course for Sen. Durbin. Certainly the leaders of Bolivia, Ecuadorand Peru; all bulwarks of democracy, are more important than a man who served this nation as its President. Just curious, when did the Senate start circumventing the State Department on diplomatic matters? The reason given for this trip is that relations with these countries are in need of improvement. Harry Reid and Dick Durbin are going on the road to improve foreign relations. They, along with 3 other Senators, have set up meetings with the leaders of these nations. Where is the State Department on this trip? Nowhere to be found. It’s not an “official” trip endorsed by the State department.
It’s a shame that Sen. Durbin’s contempt for conservative Republicans has spilled over to affect the funeral of a moderate like Gerald Ford. Durbin would much rather be seen cuddling up to South American politicians than paying tribute to a man that helped heal the nation after Watergate. He’d rather go sightseeing than honor a man that served his nation for decades. It is more important to suck up to Harry Reid than to represent his constituents at a Presidential funeral.
What is this delegation attempting to accomplish? It’s hard to say. There are no press releases outlining his trip on his website. There is also nothing on Sen. Reid's website. So what's the point?
It is meddling pure and simple. According to the AP, Reid says the purpose of the trip is to show the commitment of the U.S. to strengthening ties with our neighbors in South America. They'll also explore vital security and economic and political issues of mutual concern. Again, this is why we have a state department. The best part of this? It's on the taxpayer's dime.
This is just one more example of why Durbin must go. He has demonstrated his disdain for the current president during a time of war. He has shown a lack of support for the troops, insulting them at a time of war. He has now disrespected the memory of a former President. Is there anything important that Sen. Durbin does respect?
