Orrin Hatch, R.I.P.

A rather unique U.S. Senator and politician, who had practiced 

practiced bipartisanship in a rather unique (and surprising) way

passed away just the other day; Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah, ret.),

88, reached across the aisle in the Senate to craft and pass legis-

lation, gaining the cooperation and support of Democrats who

would not have been likely to go along with the efforts but for

the gentle persuasion of Sen. Hatch. The seven-term Republican

senator (a record among Republican senators) even won over 

Sen. Ted Kennedy and became life-long friends with the 

prominent Democrat from one of the most prominent American

political families (!).

A relic of an age when such a phenomenon would, while raising

some eyebrows, have been not so rare as it would be today in our

current hair-trigger political climate, Hatch chaired the Senate

Finance Committee, the Senate Joint Pensions Committee (since 

Hatch's chairmanship this committee has been abolished), 

and the Senate Judiciary Committee, before becoming the President 

pro tempore, the title given to the longest-serving senator from the 

majority party. Along each and every step of the way Sen. Hatch

had established cooperative working ties with Democrat senators.

In his last term or two in the Senate Sen. Hatch made the unfortunate

leftward move that had gladdened RINOs and dismayed conservatives

in the GOP. While he didn't go over to be as far left as Sens. Lisa

Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME), he did vote with 

them and with Democrats some of the time in that period. Whether

or not it was a consequence of his having reached across the aisle

so many times in past years your curious Peasant is not sure.

But Hatch did retain much of his core values and principled stands

on vital issues, i.e. the right to life for unborn babies.

For the most part, Sen. Orrin Hatch was a model senator, a fine 

servant of the people, and a striking example of how to work with 

those of the opposing party to accomplish the heretofore nearly

impossible. May the tall, soft-spoken Utahn rest in peace. 

MEM