A widely circulated e-mail from Liljenquist (subject line: “Honoring the Fallen”) included a photo of headstones at a military cemetery below a large “Dan Liljenquist U.S. Senate 2012” logo. “Dear Supporter,” the mail reads, “As America gathers on Memorial Day, the original meaning of the day is often downplayed or even forgotten.”

Forgotten. Yes, indeed. About 200 words of praise-and-honor-for-those-who-have-died later — and just below Liljenquist’s signature — are three buttons in patriotic red, white and blue: links to Liljenquist’s campaign Facebook page; to his Twitter campaign page; and to a Contribute page, which takes you directly to a donation form.

Have the dead become just another tool for getting Liljenquist elected? So it would seem.

But while Liljenquist praises “the nation’s heroes,” courage doesn’t seem to describe his politics particularly well. He is the senator from Davis County who cut and ran when the final vote on the LDS Church-supported immigration reform bill, H.B. 116, came up in 2011. He told several colleagues that he wouldn’t vote on the bill because no matter how it turned out it was a no-win for his pending U.S. Senate campaign, and so he would be off the floor. True to his word, he went AWOL and didn’t vote. What would happen if Liljenquist were put under real pressure in the U.S. Senate?