Robert Byrd has died

[The Lone Ranger]

Robert Byrd, of West Virginia has died at the age of 92. It's a little sickening hearing Democrats and Republicans alike falling all over themselves to say how much they had loved the man, given how many of the Republicans had been referring to him in rather derogatory terms up until recently.

Byrd was far from my favorite Senator, especially given his racist past, but he earned major points for trying to oppose the Executive Branch's naked grab for power during the Bush II era. Earlier, NPR was playing exerpts from some of his speeches in which he scolded his fellow senators for kowtowing to the Presidency and all but completely abandoning their sworn duty to act as a check to unbridled Executive power. They were beautiful words to hear.


Cheers,

Michael

[Sauron]

I remember meeting Senator Byrd once - in seventh grade. He made it a point to travel to as many public schools in West Virginia as he could. He came to our high school once. After taking a few questions from the student assembly in the gymnasium, he whipped out his fiddle and played ol' timey mountain music for about 20 or 30 minutes. I still remember his rendition of "Rye Whiskey" - lively music and spirited singing.

Whether you like him or hate him, he clearly understood that all politics is local.