1115.org

One of the more recent (and overused) Republican talking points is that the Democrats stand for nothing but obstruction, with few ideas of their own on how to deal with the issues and problems facing Americans. The flip side to this Democratic “inaction” is that the Republicans must be the party with its finger on the pulse of American priorities, with a comprehensive vision of moving the country forward.

The next time you hear something like this, feel free to bring up this shining example of what the GOP-controlled Senate considers to be a pressing issue:

Senate Republicans on Tuesday moved the National Rifle Association’s top priority ahead of a $491 billion defense bill, setting up a vote on legislation to shield firearms manufacturers and dealers from lawsuits over gun crimes.

Completion of the defense bill, which the Senate had been debating for a week, will now be delayed until fall.

(…)

With strong support from the White House, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., used a technical maneuver to halt debate on the defense bill and move to the contentious gun legislation sponsored by Sen. Larry Craig (news, bio, voting record), R-Idaho.

Priorities.

Maybe I missed the fine print, but where in the second amendment did the right to bear arms include shielding gun manufacturers from ugly lawsuits? Of course, the Constitution never really touched on the issue of campaign donations either, and since the gun industry gave 88% of its contributions to Republicans it’s not too difficult to realize why the bold GOP agenda comes loaded with a full clip. Protecting gun makers is apparently more important than protecting the rest of the country, which is odd coming from the party that misses no opportunity to puff up its commitment to national security.

But to hear Frist tell it, protecting gun manufacturers and national security are one and the same:

“We will consider gun liability legislation before we leave. Given the profusion of litigation, the Department of Defense faces the very real prospect of outsourcing sidearms for our soldiers to foreign manufacturers.

(…)

“Without this legislation it is probable the American manufacturers of legal firearms will be faced with a real prospect of going out of business, ending a critical source of supply for our armed forces, our police and our citizens.

Support the troops! If the gun makers aren’t protected from lawsuits, then the terrorists have truly won. And so on. Never mind that the amount of lawsuits (the “profusion of litigation” that Frist solemnly warns us about) against the gun industry is pretty much negligible, with only 57 suits filed in the ten year period of 1993-2003.

While I think it’s silly to hold gun manufacturers or merchants liable for every crime that happens to involve a firearm (I grew up in a household of gun owners and realize that they can be used responsibly), how will this new legislation deal with the instances where liability must be assigned? If someone is allowed to buy a gun without the proper background checks, than for sure the seller should be held liable. If a gun manufacturer releases a product that has a design defect, it should certainly be held responsible. While the legislation’s backers claim that the shield laws are very narrow in scope and won’t affect other liability issues, there are signs that the protections offered by the proposed shield will be greater than what supporters claim. In any case, it is boutique legislation meant to reward a loyal party contributor and an even-more loyal advocacy group.

As for the defense bill that got the short end of this particular stick, don’t think for a moment that it was eclipsed simply because the firearm liability legislation was more popular. There are indications that Frist, ever the White House’s lapdog, scuttled the defense bill to head off a future administration embarassment:

Senate Republicans pushed ahead Monday with legislation that would set rules for the treatment and interrogation of terrorism suspects in U.S. custody, despite a White House veto threat.

The Bush administration, led by Vice President Dick Cheney, is working to kill the amendments that GOP Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina want to tack onto a bill setting Defense Department policy for next year.

(…)

Cheney met with the three Republican lawmakers just off the Senate floor for about 30 minutes Thursday evening to object to detainee legislation. McCain said the meeting was the second in as many weeks between Cheney and top Armed Services members over administration concerns about the defense bill.

The administration said in a statement last week that President Bush’s advisers would recommend a veto of the overall bill if amendments were added that restricted the president’s ability to conduct the war on terrorism and protect Americans.

“They don’t think congressional involvement is necessary,” McCain said in an interview.

Senate aides estimate that nearly a dozen Republicans could be on board - which would be more than enough for the amendments to pass if Democrats support them as well.

If the defense bill were to pass—and every indication is that it would—the President would have been put in the humiliating situation of using the very first veto of his Presidency against what is considered to be one of his administration’s core commitments. So, by stalling the legislation, Frist not only buys the President some breathing room, but also gives a nice gift to a loyal Republican ally. It’s a neat trick, and proves that the Republicans are more than willing to obstruct themselves, with no Democrats necessary.

Once again, priorities.