'Twas the Night before Voting
And all 'round the Hill
Not a Congressman working
Could avoid The Bill,
Approved by House We'n'sday
By seventy-some votes,
Patriot Act Renewal
Had caused no few gloats
From Washington Repubs
Who liked it just fine,
And White House insiders
Who found it divine.
Gonzalez was running
Around in the snow,
Lobbying the Senate
For votes--Ho, Ho, Ho.
He extolled the virtues
Of fighting some terror;
With perm'nent provisions
There could be no error
This Act, he told them,
Would let us sustain
That old War on Terror--
It couldn't be more plain
That the Act was needed,
That having it would
Make sure that the Bushies
Could fight that war good.
He pimped and he strutted,
He gave interviews,
He pimped it all over--
I'm telling you true--
And while he went pimping
All over the town,
Some Dems they were planning
To stopper that clown
First Feingold, then Durbin,
Obama and Reid,
Leahy and Sununu,
Followed the lead,
Then Kerry, Salazar,
Then Hagel, Craig too,
Don't forget Murkowski--
They're voting for you
The "No Cloture" team
Was arrayed on one side,
While Frist and his cohorts
Planned "passage"--or tried.
They all counted their allies
For cloture, for Act,
They prepared speeches,
They gathered their facts,
Constituents phone-called
And emailed and wrote,
While Senators argued and
Tried to earn that crucial vote
And while all the Senate
Prepared for that day
When Bush and his cronies
Would try to get their way.
Their arguments marshalled,
Their positions made clear,
Senators in favor
Of renewal made clear:
That civil liberties
And rights were both pale
In comparison with
Their need to over Terra prevail;
That citizens of
The mighty US of A
Could not depend 'pon them
To our will obey;
They're not concerned with
Individuals' rights,
But only with winning the
Endless long fights
'Gainst terror, or traitors,
Or whoever be
Named enemy of the day--
They'll fight tirelessly.
The word came down from Bushco
In that big White House,
They'll not tolerate dissent,
So don't whine, don't grouse,
Just suck it up, 'Mur'ka,
Each lad and each lass--
They'll take your rights soon as
This renewal does pass.
And that's why, my friends,
That Sens Feingold and Reid
And the rest deserve praise:
They know just what we need
In this country, divided,
They duty don't shirk-ah:
They know what is needed
In George Bush's 'Mur'ka--
A renewed respect for
That ol' Constitution
That made this place great,
We need a solution
That doesn't ignore
The rights that we all own;
By keeping us safe
Without leaving us prone
To abuse and neglect
From the powers that be--
That's sure what I'm wanting
'Neath my Christmas tree.
So call them, and write them,
And get out your rant-as,
But 'member if they win this,
They're 'Mur'ka's Santas.
***
part i: 'Twas the War Against Christmas
part ii: 'Twas the Night Before Voting
part iii: 'Twas the Day for No-Cloture