What's Appropriate

As we noted earlier today, Sen. Collins' vote in favor of the Military Commissions Act helped secure one of the ugliest and most important legislative victories of the Bush presidency.

The act trampled the constitutional principle of habeas corpus, ignored the separation of powers and granted retroactive immunity for certain kinds of war crimes.

As if to underscore her support for the Bush policy, Collins later refused an opportunity to restore habeas corpus, breaking rather publicly with Sen. Snowe in the process.

So, as Gerald notes, it's particularly rich for the junior senator to turn around and, in the middle of an election campaign, complain about the appropriateness of interrogation tactics at Guantanamo Bay.

As her friend President Bush might say, that accountability moment has already passed.