The urge to find justice for the families of 9/11 victims is so strong that it’s hard to stand in the way of anything that seems to help them.
That emotional appeal persuaded Congress, which is normally bitterly divided, to pass a measure that its bipartisan supporters said would ease the way for those families to sue Saudi Arabia for its alleged complicity in the attacks.
But emotion is no way to run foreign policy in a dangerous world. Worse yet, this measure promises far more than it can deliver to grieving 9/11 families.
President Obama did the right thing last week when he vetoed the bill. And in a confrontation expected to play out Wednesday, senators would show more courage by dropping their threats to override Obama’s veto than by sticking with their misguided measure. If Congress overrides, which requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate and the House, it would be the first time one of Obama’s vetoes has been overridden.
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