In the aftermath of the midterm elections, we have been barraged by the media, internet gurus, and the politicians on both sides of the political fence with interpretations of the significance of the Democratic takeover of the House and Senate. These interpretations are often extremely complicated, not very comprehensible and clearly wrong. These guys weren't right before the election, why would they be right afterward? Let's start out by defining what the election was not about.
It was not about social issues. People feel the same way about race, sexual preference, immigration, reproductive rights, Social Security, healthcare, and all the other myriad social dilemmas our society faces, as they did when they elected Bush and the Republicans, two and six years ago.
It's not about corruption in government. Nobody really cares about corporate lobbyists with deep pockets or government contracts awarded to companies that take the money and give blue sky and bull shit in return. Nobody begrudges a congressman, or any other politician a Swiss bank account or a beach house in the Bahamas. It's as American as apple pie.
It's not about a mandate for Liberal government. Many of the most high profile Democratic candidates were as conservative, or more so, than their Republican opponents. Nancy Pelosi's battlecry is "Rule from the Center". I didn't notice anyone out there campaigning with Cindy Sheehan, Jane Fonda or Micheal Moore at their side.
It's not about the War in Iraq. Hillary Clinton and Joe Lieberman are still standing tall amidst the ruble of the American political landscape. What does that tell ya?
This election was all about George W. Bush. A Nero, who fiddled while New Orleans lost half it's population. A Josef Stalin, who instituted a system of secret prisons, torture, warrantless wiretapping, and indefinite imprisonment without criminal charges or trial. The man who invented the signing statement, whereby he may ignore any law he doesn't like. A Commander in Chief who spends the lives and resources of our military establishment, like a drunken sailor squanders his paycheck on a Hotel Street parlor girl. He is a liar, a cheat, a degenerate, a scoundrel. We have suffered bad Presidents, partisan Presidents, more than our share in the last half century. We have never had a President who worked so actively to subvert the very foundations of the Republic. He thinks now, that by scapegoating various members of his administration, he can buy time to continue his evil predations on the people of America. This must not be allowed.
In January of 2007, when the new Congress convenes, a carefully chosen, bipartisan, Speaker of the House must be appointed. Someone within the ranks of Congress with the respect of both sides. The President and Vice President must then be forced, under threat of impeachment and imprisonment, if necessary, to summarily resign their offices. The Speaker will then assume the Presidency for the next two years. It is an unprecedented move, but necessary. If it is not done, the cancer that is eating away at the guts of the American body politic, will continue, and more damage will be done.
1 comment:
"This election was all about George W. Bush"
Well, I can agree with that one. He's thoroughly pissed off his supporters (including myself). The Dems successfully focused the election on him. Even here in the Dallas area (uber red-state America) we were subjected to ads criticizing the decisions made by Republicans on a national level. And this was in local races to fill judge positions! Never understood how they tied lowering gas prices into the nefarious planning of GW. But they did!
"A Nero, who fiddled while New Orleans lost half it's population"
C'mon. The fact that so many chose to remain where they were evacuated to rather than return after a natural disaster is kinda hard to lay at the doorstep of El Presidente. And if you're talking about the dismal performance of rescue efforts for those stranded by the hurricane I'd lay a fair amount of blame on the mayor of the city and governor of the state.
"A Josef Stalin, who instituted a sytem of secret prisons, torture, warrantless wiretapping and indefinite imprisonment without criminal charges or trial".
All against enemy combatants who under the definitions of the Geneva Convention are not even entitled to it's protections. Recently they discovered the prisoners in Gitmo have a problem with the food. They're getting too fat! Regular Auschwitz there! And as for any real torture, if it keeps my wife and family safe I'm all for it. Take the bastards apart with a blowtorch and pair of pliers. I'll buy the propane. "Warrantless wiretapping"? Do you mean the program that so far has not been found by ANYBODY on either the left or right side of the aisle to be in violation of any law?
We're in a war. Not like the long distance kind we fought in Korea or Viet Nam. Those were done at arms length where the folks on the home front could feel isolated from them. 9/11/2001 brought it home. Historically unpopular decisions are always made in this sort of conflict. Lincoln suspended habeus corpus, Roosevelt instituted the detention camps for Japanese, Germans and Italians.
"A Commander in Chief who spends the lives and resources of our military establishment like a drunken sailor ...."
Do you mean in Afghanistan where Osama Bin Laden orchestrated the attacks of 9/11? Or in Iraq where last week it was acknowledged Saddam Hussein was within a year of acquiring nukes? Do you think we should have just refrained from going into both areas? Sorry, I disagree. And if you're talking about the execution of those theaters of combat, hindsight is 20/20. Yep, lots of mistakes made. Just like any other war.
"The President and Vice President must then be forced, under threat of impeachment and imprisonment...to summarily resign their offices"
C'mon. The talk of impeachment flows all too easily from our lips since Slick Willie was brought up on charges (the number one reason I was against it). I DON'T approve of the way the administration is doing things, I'm becoming steadily more disenchanted. But the thing to do is just wait out the remainder of GW's term. Just like we've always done when the Chief Executive has become a liability. He's done nothing worthy of impeachment. Period.
We survived Jimmy Carter with a lot less hyperventilating over his incompetence. George Bush doesn't even come close to that twit!
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