Now is the time for Sen. Susan Collins to show courage and leadership, not the time for moderation and gamesmanship.
I call on Collins to have the courage and conviction of her late predecessor, U.S. Senator Margaret Chase Smith, who in 1950 rose in the Senate to deliver her “Declaration of Conscience” speech. Denouncing the abusive tactics of McCarthyism and speaking to her fellow Republican Senators, she declared that “it is high time for the United States Senate to do some real soul searching and to weigh our consciences as to the manner in which we are preforming our duty to the people of America” and to remember that “we have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution.”
Senator Smith’s Declaration had an immediate and historical impact, not only because of her eloquent and passionate plea, but also because of her courage. As all of her fellow Republican senators sat quiet, she rose.
I’m not calling on Sen. Collins to arrive at an impeachment verdict at this time. I understand and agree with her decision to see all of the evidence and to remain impartial. That is our American system of justice, to be preserved as mandated by our Constitution.
However, one cannot claim to be impartial while standing by watching as witnesses are prevented from testifying, evidence is being destroyed, and lies are being manufactured. She should insist on full disclosure, full testimony, and full transcripts. An impartial juror would want to know all of the facts.
As Sen. Smith called on her Republican colleagues to do, I call on Sen. Collins to stop being a tool and victim of the totalitarian techniques being forced upon us and her. It is high time to show the courage and leadership that the people of Maine and the people of America deserve.
John Nale
Waterville
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