With Elian as good as gone, we have to move on to the larger issue of what the Republicans will do about Miss Reno's raid on the Constitution. Even if well intended, her decision strikes at the heart of constitutional government and shakes the safeguards of liberty. Certain Republicans in Congress, pushed by Sen. Bob Graham of Florida, a Democrat, are making brave noises about getting to the bottom of the latest Clinton assault on the Constitution. Talk, like Janet Reno sentiment, is cheap. Old hands around town are betting they will back down when they cool down.
Republicans always do.
This will be a test of whether the Republican Congress is worth saving. If they cut and run this time, they will invite scorn and the question of why anyone should bother saving them. Elian Gonzalez, who came so close to a life of liberty and the pursuit of happiness, was worth an inner tube. Most of these guys are not.