When U.S. Senate Republican actions occur in predictable lockstep fashion, such as the vote to confirm television host Pete Hegseth to the cabinet position of defense secretary, I’m reminded of a scene in the classic motion picture “The Wizard of Oz.” In the scene at the Emerald City, a gigantic green image of the Wizard is projected onto a huge screen. His booming voice, “I am the great and powerful Oz,” has Dorothy and her friends cowering and trembling. It’s not a stretch to envision a huge orange image of President Donald Trump cast upon the walls of Senate chambers, leering menacingly at fear-stricken senators crouching down in their desks. The Wizard didn’t expect that some of his subjects would stand up against him. In the case of the U.S. Senate, those would be U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) and U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska).
— Frank E. Baker, Eagle River
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