The Indomitable Maggie Chase Smith and the Tyranny of Reasonable Men
Margaret Chase Smith’s stand against McCarthyism raises a question about congressional courage: what is an oath worth when keeping it threatens a career? Her Declaration of Conscience anchors this February 2026 essay about the responsibility to defend constitutional limits before someone else makes it safe.
The Leviathan is the recurring image for power that grows when its keepers stop holding it accountable. War powers, emergency authority, and tariffs provide the modern examples in an argument about Congress surrendering responsibility. Smith’s example asks senators to measure success by…
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