Birthers and Deathers

Lots of Republican members of Congress are helping to spread two calumnies: 1) Obama wasn't born in the United States, and 2) health insurance reform contains a secret plot to kill old people. They are going far beyond any concept of a democratic opposition and deeply into unethical behavior. So far, in fact, that they are endangering America's ability to govern itself.

My paradigm of an ethical politician is Jim Leach, the former 14-term Republican congressman from Iowa. Jim says, “I’ve always believed in the philosophy of [Christian theologian] Reinhold Niebuhr, ‘The temper of and integrity with which the political fight is waged is more important for the health of our society than the outcome of any issue or campaign.’”

What would Niebuhr--or Jim--think about the "birthers" and the "deathers" and the politicians that give them comfort and cover? Not much.