海角大神

Dear reader:
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听As I write, the Democrats appear set to capture the Senate, a quixotic effort in Congress to undo Joe Biden鈥檚 presidential victory has launched, and the National Guard is in the streets of Washington.
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听But there鈥檚 another story that deserves attention: the Cheney family鈥檚 role in this historic time. It was former Vice President Dick Cheney, usually a villain to the left, who organized Sunday鈥檚 unprecedented op-ed signed by all 10 living former Defense secretaries 鈥� a warning not to involve the military in resolving election disputes.
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听Such a move, they wrote, 鈥渨ould take us into dangerous, unlawful, and unconstitutional territory.鈥�
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听Meanwhile, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 Republican in the House and the former vice president鈥檚 elder daughter, issued her own statement Sunday 鈥� a 21-page memo to GOP colleagues asserting that Congress has 鈥渘o appropriate basis鈥� to object to Biden electors.
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听鈥淪uch objections,鈥� Representative Cheney wrote, 鈥渟et an exceptionally dangerous precedent, threatening to steal states鈥� explicit constitutional responsibility for choosing the President and bestowing it instead on Congress.鈥�
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听Both Cheneys are political conservatives, and in pushing back against President Trump鈥檚 extraordinary efforts to undo the Nov. 3 election, they revealed themselves also to be institutional conservatives 鈥� that is, standing up for the institutions of government and their roles, as laid out in the Constitution. For Ms. Cheney, in particular 鈥� chair of the House Republican conference and rising star in the party 鈥� the long-brewing feud with Mr. Trump likely foreshadows the coming battle over the GOP鈥檚 future.
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听The Cheneys鈥� story also has a poignant dimension. According to The Economist, Mr. Cheney had long harbored misgivings over Mr. Trump, but remained silent in deference to his daughter鈥檚 political career.
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听The former vice president 鈥� and former Defense secretary 鈥� was reportedly 鈥渢ipped over the edge鈥� by a Dec. 26 column in The Washington Post. Senior government officials were increasingly concerned that Mr. Trump would deploy the military in an effort to cling to power, the well-connected columnist David Ignatius wrote.
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听Mr. Cheney鈥檚 old boss, former President George W. Bush, has also played things low key of late. But it鈥檚 clear where he stands.
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听鈥淧resident and Mrs. Bush look forward to returning to the Capitol for the swearing in of President Biden and Vice President Harris,鈥� Mr. Bush鈥檚 spokesman tweeted Tuesday.
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听It will be the eighth inauguration the Bushes have attended, the spokesman noted, ending with a flourish: 鈥淲itnessing the peaceful transfer of power is a hallmark of our democracy that never gets old.鈥�
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听Let us know what you鈥檙e thinking at csmpolitics@csmonitor.com.