Bob “The Wimp” Menendez

An amendment to the U.S. Constitution would read:

The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States.

Since Congress began considering this amendment in 1990, in response to Supreme Court rulings that struck down flag desecration laws on free-speech grounds, the amendment has repeatedly passed the House and then failed or died without a vote in the Senate.

No senator from New Jersey has voted for it, with Bill Bradley, Robert G. Torricelli and Frank R. Lautenberg all voting "no." Governor Corzine also opposed it, but no vote was taken during the five years he was a senator.

In the House, a steadily increasing number of New Jersey representatives supported the measure, with the delegation breaking 11-2 in favor of it in the most recent vote, in June 2005. Only Democratic Reps. Donald Payne of Newark and Rush Holt of Pennington opposed it.

But how will Senator Bob Menendez vote on the proposed amendment when it comes before the Senate later this month? Will he vote in favor of the amendment as he did in the House on five previous occasions?

It was all so simple then. Now that he’s a Senator the issue has become complicated.

Menendez said he has a different responsibility representing the entire state than he had representing one House district based in Hudson County.

Bill Kane president of the state Industrial Union Council said, "If that amendment passes in Washington, then that makes flag burning the issue to be debated in the election in November, and I don't think that's good for the Democratic Party,"

Joseph Gugliuzza, a former state commander of the American Legion said “he tried calling Menendez four times to confirm his support and ask him to sign on as a Senate co-sponsor.”

He said he was told by an aide that Menendez could not because "he was under a lot of pressure from within not to vote for it, but at this time he is going to vote for the amendment," Gugliuzza said.

Menendez, who claims he’s going to “Stand Up for New Jersey”, can’t even stand up for something he has supported for years because of the “pressure”. What a wimp.