Graydon Carter wrote What We've Lost in 2004, before GWB was elected for his second term. I picked up about 10 copies when it came out and gave it to everyone I knew (okay, not EVERYONE). It is, quite literally, a point-by-point list - by category - of all that our country has lost as a direct result of having been under the control of the Bush administration, starting in the first chapter with a list of the names of soldiers that had been killed in, as the first chapter is titled, The President's Wars. Here are some of the other chapters: The Military, Secrecy, The Economy, The Environment, Education, Health Care, The Judiciary, The State of the Union, Our Reputation, and The President by the Numbers. Here is the introduction which you should read in full - of course, I highly recommend reading the whole book.
Yet, here we are with a little less than a year left before Bush's second term ends, and it seems that the people of the United States are only just beginning to understand how bad for our country his rule has been. In this historic election year, Democrats have an excellent chance to re-take the White House, and to gain more control in Congress, and as thankful as I am for that, I can't help but feel that it won't be enough and I worry that Democrats are not up to the task of leading us from where we are to where we need to go.
I remember thinking during the travesty that was the impeachment of President Clinton that this gambit would pay off for Republicans because any future attempt by Democrats to hold Republicans accountable for misconduct would always be portrayed as partisan payback. I am absolutely certain - beyond any doubt whatsoever - that the Rovians knew that once they got the reins of control, they could get away with anything. It's not something that I can take any comfort at all in having been right about.
The political news has been coming fast and furious these last few weeks, with the contest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in a dead heat, and McCain struggling for something to make the members of his own Party support him. But the news that keeps getting my attention always brings me back to Carter's book about What We've Lost: The story of the Siegelman prosecution is as clear an indictment as we are ever likely to get of how utterly corrupt the Bush Justice Department is (and don't miss this from hilzoy). Tony Karon is writing a 3-part series on the changing balance of power in the world, and the first part is aptly titled Honey, I Shrank The Superpower which sums up The Bush Effect quite nicely (Part two is here). These two posts talk about the politicization of our Intelligence that has done untold harm. Then, of course, there's the fact that our economy appears to be on the verge of collapse.
What in the world is President Clinton or President Obama going to be able to do to turn this ship around, hell to even get it back above water? If George Bush and Dick Cheney are allowed to finish their terms without ever having been held accountable for their crimes, how do we begin to restore our country's faith in our own integrity and in the rule of law?
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2 comments:
I too worry that things may just be too far gone. Remember the mess that Carter inherited from the repubs, and Reagan (ach! spit!) was able to pin it all on him and begin the selling down the river that has culminated in the last 7 years. If Clinton or Obama take the white house will they be a latter day Carter enabling the GOP to blame the Dems for the train wreck that Bush/Cheney have left us with?
Hi Cap! The Republican slime machine must be exposed. But there are so many problems beginning with, as you say, they've been at this game for a long time - and so many people have bought their line that "everyone does it" that any attempt to hold them accountable gets painted with the same dirty brush. People are turned off by politics and this is why. It just drives me crazy. I've said before that I think the only cure can come from within the Republican Party itself. When there are enough Republicans that recognize what damage the Rovians have done to their Party - and the nation - and are willing to take action, then there is a chance. But I don't see that happening any time soon, and certainly not before Bush leaves office.
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