Six months.

That's how long Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean have been political prisoners, mistreated hostages of Jorge Bush's open-borders, amnesty-for-all policies, as carried out by some of the most unprincipled scofflaws ever to hold government positions.

Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee, under Dianne Feinstein's control, held a "hearing" on the Ramos-Compean case.

One day. Not even a full eight hours.

My problem with the hearing is that it was tame, tepid, and the witnesses were not even put under oath. If they had been, Bush pitbull Johnny Sutton, who was in charge of railroading the two Border Patrol agents, would have been perp-walked out of the Senate chamber where the hearings were held.

Sutton was asked a few to-the-point questions, but dodged his responsibility for numerous acts of perjury, evidence-tampering and plain old malicious prosecution.

He admitted that his office knew the illegal-alien drug smuggler was indeed a drug smuggler in the country illegally, yet gave him free medical treatment, a cross-the-border-free pass (which said illegal used to run at least one more load of marijuana into the country) and immunity from prosecution for the incident in which he was shot. All in the name of framing two agents whose worst "crime" should have merited, at the very worst, a reprimand.

Sutton devised a mythical evil "conspiracy" around Ramos and Compean, which was demonstrably a lie, yet he sticks to it to this day.

And the Senators on the committee let him get away with it.

These are the same people who foam at the mouth when grilling witnesses -- under oath -- about other "crimes" far less serious. Why they chose to let Sutton (and, by extension, his master Jorge Bush) skate is totally beyond me.

Yes, Sens. Feinstein and John Cornyn sent a letter to Jorge last night asking him to pardon Ramos and Compean.

We all know how Bush responds to any suggestion that doesn't fit his sick agendas. He ignores it. And then, if questioned, spouts whiny, sanctimonious pap about being "the decider."

A pardon is exactly the wrong thing to do in this situation. It only lets the agents out of jail. It doesn't clear their names.

What is needed is for the Senate -- and the House -- to finally get down to the "people's business" and hold hearings with teeth. Bring Sutton back, under oath, and force him, under threat of immediate imprisonment, to tell the truth.

Once he has done so, pressure must be brought to bear to force an immediate overturning of the verdict, plus full restitution to the two agents. This should be extended to Gil Hernandez, a Deputy Sheriff who was also shafted for doing his job, as well.

And following that, charges must be brought against the vile slime who sacrificed these two men to advance their twisted desire to sell out the nation.

It is time for Sutton, his flunky Debra Kanof and everyone else involved in this travesty to face juries. The same applies to Jorge Bush. If they are found guilty, as they inevitably would be, they should at a minimum serve as much time in prison -- and under the same conditions -- as those they betrayed.

Congress needs to show that they can do more than waste money, rant, rave and posture for the TV cameras, when issues that reach to the core of our justice system are on the table. They must prove to us that they actually believe in justice.

If they can't do that, they have absolutely no right to hold public office.

Yesterday's hearing was a start. But it was only a start, and an ineffective one at that.