Libby's Loop & The Enemy Within ...
Two years of speculation will now culminate into another three years of legal wrangling, rumors, Beltway whispers, juicy healine grabbers and scarred reputations. It won't end till Inauguration Day 2009. But, we are concerned that it will do little to ameliorate the erosion of governing for the common good in Washington. Sound public policy is, these days, relegated to gladiatoresque partisan bloodsport; rare reflection on substance, lots of rumination on polls. Worship the game, dismiss integrity ...
In fact, the White House will circle its wagons. Don't be surprised by a very urgent and renewed focus on terrorism, elevated homeland security alerts and "evil" Islamic "radicals" as hawks will need something excessively scary to distract the American public from the awesome display of corruption unfolding before it. Persistence on a failed Iraq strategy will become abundantly stubborn. Syria may creep steadily into the spotlight and, oh, watch out for China and North Korea. We will need villains to overshadow the villains within ...
Most are eager to see what this latest debacle will do to an embattled Bush White House. Others are, as we speak, sharpening skilled campaign knives to figure how this can be used to discredit candidates or energize bases. The dark, hanging hurricane clouds of reality, however, show a scenario much bleaker than fodder for unimaginative West Wing writers. The indictment of VP Cheney aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby has as much to do with the erosion of government as we think we've always known it. It reflects the backbiting, backstabbing, blacklisting and barbaric partisan rancor that characterizes the Washington those of us in the know know about. The at all costs attitude that diminshes the value of civility and democracy, even at the expense of national security. And Democrats are absolutely wrong to promote such as something exclusively Republican. The guilt runs thick on both sides of the aisle and through all halls of Congress, along K Street's traffic snarls and the crumbs on Pennsylvania Avenue power lunches. It's an American tradition - we dress it with draping red, white and blue flags, yellow ribbons and trumpets to make it look good as if we're above all that.
Attempts at personal destruction in Washington are commonplace and hardly show signs of abating.
In fact, the White House will circle its wagons. Don't be surprised by a very urgent and renewed focus on terrorism, elevated homeland security alerts and "evil" Islamic "radicals" as hawks will need something excessively scary to distract the American public from the awesome display of corruption unfolding before it. Persistence on a failed Iraq strategy will become abundantly stubborn. Syria may creep steadily into the spotlight and, oh, watch out for China and North Korea. We will need villains to overshadow the villains within ...
Most are eager to see what this latest debacle will do to an embattled Bush White House. Others are, as we speak, sharpening skilled campaign knives to figure how this can be used to discredit candidates or energize bases. The dark, hanging hurricane clouds of reality, however, show a scenario much bleaker than fodder for unimaginative West Wing writers. The indictment of VP Cheney aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby has as much to do with the erosion of government as we think we've always known it. It reflects the backbiting, backstabbing, blacklisting and barbaric partisan rancor that characterizes the Washington those of us in the know know about. The at all costs attitude that diminshes the value of civility and democracy, even at the expense of national security. And Democrats are absolutely wrong to promote such as something exclusively Republican. The guilt runs thick on both sides of the aisle and through all halls of Congress, along K Street's traffic snarls and the crumbs on Pennsylvania Avenue power lunches. It's an American tradition - we dress it with draping red, white and blue flags, yellow ribbons and trumpets to make it look good as if we're above all that.
Attempts at personal destruction in Washington are commonplace and hardly show signs of abating.
posted by BPblogger at 10:40 AM
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