THE REPUBLICAN BACKBONE - WILL IT LAST

Senate Republicans have taken a strong stance in the lame duck session of Congress, sending a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid signed unanimously by all 42 GOP Senators, stating that Republicans will filibuster ANY legislation that comes before the Senate except a continuing resolution to fund the federal government and legislation that addresses extending the Bush tax cuts which will expire on December 31.

Reid announced an ambitious agenda for the lame duck which included ratifying the START treaty, without allowing anyone to know what it contains, passing the Dream Act which provides amnesty to illegal alien children if they either attend a US college or serve in the military, repealing , "Don't Ask Don't Tell," and a host of other legislation still pending from the Obama agenda. The looming tax hikes was not a priority for Reid just as they have not been for more than two years.

Newly sworn in Senator Mark Kirk who won election filling Barack Obamas former Senate seat has come out firing saying that the people sent a mandate to Congress and the lame duck should NOT pursue ANY of the Obama agenda since voters decisively rejected it at the polls in the mid term election. In this I completely agree, but Reid and company like Pelosi and company in the House don't see it that way.

They have ignored the people since taking the majority in 2006 and believe in their arrogant liberal way that this is their last chance to force through what remains of the left wing wish list so acknowledging that mandate from the people against it during the lame duck is not in what they perceive as their best interest.

In response to this Senate Republicans fired the letter to Reid and with 42 in complete agreement for once, Reid has no choice but to comply because he cannot pass anything without the help of Republicans. Frankly the GOP should also follow the advice of Kirk and NOT participate in ANY of the Reid/Obama agenda after the tax hikes are dealt with since the peoples electoral mandate was to stop their left wing move and the direction it was taking the country.

With only roughly three weeks left in the lame duck, not much can be accomplished in any case. I would like to see the GOP backbone stay strong and take a principled stand against Reid both in the lame duck and in the new Senate session which begins in January. The House situation is a different story when the new Congress convenes since the GOP will have a large majority, but the Senate will have battles ahead since Democrats still hold leadership. But with 51 - 47 and 2 Independents as the new Senate begins Reid will not be able to ramrod anything through as he did in the current session. The principled GOP backbone now showing is key in controlling the agenda until 2012 when we the people can once again remove more Democrats and the remaining RINOS from the Senate.

Ken Taylor