Clash of the Clunkers

It was a rather broad interpretation of the right to life.

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), known for his opposition to abortion and the destruction of embryos for research, went to the Senate floor Thursday to extend the culture of life: to old, unwanted cars that would be cruelly scrapped under the "Cash for Clunkers" program.

"Why destroy a perfectly good car?" the senator pleaded to his colleagues. "We will take a perfectly good automobile that somebody less fortunate could utilize for years . . . and instead we're going to destroy it. We will destroy the opportunity for somebody less fortunate to have that automobile."

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D), who represented Detroit's interests along with her Michigan colleague, Sen. Carl Levin (D), teased the defender of the defenseless old wrecks. If the clunkers were "adopted" instead of scrapped, she asked, "would he support extension of the program?"

The Cash for Clunkers program has been wildly popular -- so much so that Americans, claiming up to $4,500 each by trading in their old gas-guzzlers, quickly depleted the $1 billion set aside for the program. The senators on Thursday joined the House in putting an additional $2 billion into it -- but not before rolling out some late-session silliness as they prepared to leave town. If there were a Cash for Clunkers program for rhetoric, several senators would be $4,500 richer after Thursday's debate.

"I hope one of my colleagues will propose cash for golf clubs," suggested Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who, with a Ford Fusion Hybrid parked outside, had no need for the program. "I've had many calls from people who have old golf clubs and they'd like to have some cash for them."

Clunk.

"Why not dishwashers? Why not washing machines? Why not boats? Why not RVs?" contributed Coburn. That, he said, is just as sensible as giving people cash to buy a Toyota Prius, which he pronounced "Prew-iss."

Clunk.

"The Cash for Clunkers program," chimed in Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), "would create handouts for Hummers."

Clunk.

Of course, everybody knew that the popular program would pass. Senators used the debate, the last before the August recess, to make points -- even if they didn't know exactly what the point was.