Editorial: Remarks were warped, too

Wednesday, May 24, 2006 | 7:07 a.m.

At the same Republican state convention that approved denying citizenship to children born in the U.S. of illegal immigrants, Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., let loose with a bizarre attack on congressional Democrats.

"Democratic leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Ted Kennedy - let me tell you, I say this without reservation - they have hurt our military, they have emboldened our enemy," Ensign said.

"They're (our troops) fighting for the freedom of speech, they're fighting for the right to protest ... But when we are at war, especially the leaders in this country need to be very, very careful of what they say and what they do."

Ensign, in effect, is saying our representatives in Congress should not speak up when they sense the president rushed into a war for what strong evidence shows to be ulterior motives. They shouldn't object when a corporation with close ties to the vice president gets no-bid war contracts. They shouldn't raise their voices when the troops are not getting enough armor. They shouldn't question the war's planning when six former generals call for the resignation of the secretary of defense. They shouldn't question the war's progress when near-civil war breaks out amid an increasing insurgency and rising civilian and military casualties.

Ensign is following the lead of President Bush, who has tried to silence critics by painting them as unpatriotic. But he has chosen the wrong role model.

Americans, and their representatives in Congress, have a patriotic obligation to voice their opinions, even during a time of war. Demonizing critics may be a rhetorical ploy that plays well before partisan crowds caught up in the moment. But what effect does it have on the future of freedom in this country?

Ensign's fellow Republican senator, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, a Vietnam veteran and frequent critic of the Iraq war, has said, "America owes its men and women in uniform a policy worthy of their sacrifices."

Such a policy would be impossible in a world where critics are silenced.