US Senator (and historian) Ben Sasse has denounced the policy of separating children from parents at the border

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) has written some witty tweets and interesting Facebook posts critical of the Trump administration. However, he has voted consistently with the administration: yes on the tax bill, yes on Obamacare repeals, yes on every executive branch nomination save one, yes on federal judge nominations and no on legislation to protect special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.

In his latest Facebook treatise, Sasse speaks out strongly against the administration’s child separation policy: “Family separation is wicked. It is harmful to kids and absolutely should NOT be the default U.S. policy. Americans are better than this.”…

That sounds swell, but Sasse needs to do more tham vaguely hint at a solution. I sent Sasse’s office a series of questions:

* In his mind, who is responsible for the wicked policy? 

* Does he hold the president responsible? 

* How can he support a president or a party that holds kids hostage? 

* Will he vote against must-pass legislation to change this? 

* The DHS secretary says there is no such policy. Is she lying? Should she have to testify before Congress?

I have yet to receive responses to any of these, but I’ll be sure to update this post if I hear back.

The larger issue for Sasse and for other Republicans who have from time to time taken issue with the president is their abject refusal to translate rhetoric into action. In legislation, in oversight and in the confirmation process, they routinely shrink from confrontation with the White House or their own leadership. Republicans do, after all, have the majorities in both houses and long ago could have voted to end child separation. They could, at any time, cease confirming judges or even refuse to go forward on any business until the wicked policy is ended.

Sasse, a former university president who holds a PhD in history from Yale, surely is familiar with the admonition, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil [or wicked, in his telling] is for good men to do nothing.” Speaking, posting and tweeting don’t count as “doing.” Unless Sasse starts doing, he is enabling.