When we cats flew from Chicago to Washington Dulles this past weekend, an unusually large number of wheelchair-bound passengers were on our plane. One was a military veteran with two artificial legs. How did we know he was a vet? The back of his wheelchair had "Purple Heart Recipient" embroidered on it.
Only today did we realize that those folks were probably all heading to Washington to see the Senate ratify a UN treaty to ban discrimination against the disabled. If so, then, too bad for them: In spite of their presence, and that of former Senator Bob Dole, the Senate rejected the treaty 61-38.
Voting against Dole were several Republican geezers who had served with him: John Kyl, Dan Coats, Charles Grassley, Mitch McConnell, Olympia Snowe, Thad Cochran, James Inhofe, Kay Bailey Hutchison and Orrin Hatch. Both Republican Senators from Kansas voted against Dole. Cochran switched his vote from "yes" to "no" after he saw the treaty going down to defeat.
This makes us cats hack up a hairball. The Republicans are so scared of their right wing that they can't even vote for a harmless treaty in front of a gallery full of people in wheelchairs — even when their former party standard bearer, who is practically dead, begs them to.
Need we remind everyone that Bob Dole was the Republicans' Presidential and their Vice Presidential nominee, as well as their Senate Majority Leader? That it was Dole who gave the GOP that wonderful phrase "Democrat wars"? How in the world could they turn him down?
We cats can only hope that these cowardly Republican Senators someday find out what it's like to try to board an airplane with a wheelchair or a scooter or two artificial legs. For now, we dump our dirty litter boxes over their heads.
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