corrupt: 1.orig., spoiled; rotten 2.changed from good to bad; having become evil, depraved, dishonest, etc. from Webster's Third New World Dictionary of the American Language, Student's Edition copyright, 1976, 1981
I begin with the above definition because it sums up the totality of the Bush Administration, as revealed conclusively over the course of the past two weeks, as new details emerged making clear that the worst fears of critics of the firings of United States Attorneys paled in comparison to the realities. Were it just this, the situation would be bad enough, but it is not. The situation at Walter Reed is, to use a sad but apt metaphor, a bleeding sore on the American Army; Guatanamo Bay prison is still open for business, and that business is torture; the war in Iraq goes on, even as our soldiers are sent over, even though they suffer from mental and physical deficiencies that would disqualify them under normal circumstances even from staying in the armed forces; Valerie Plame Wilson is still slandered in the press by know-nothing supporters of our criminal regime, even as her official position and the reasons for the revealing of her position are made abundantly clear in the recent successful prosecution of the former chief of staff to the Vice President.
Let us not forget the peanut gallery for this rogue's gallery of American political history - Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, Jonah Goldberg, Dinesh D'Souza, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Glenn Reynolds - who are, to a person, moral and intellectual lepers and midgets, unfit to participate in our national dialogue in a sane, normal world by reason of mental disorder or lack of serious contribution, yet listened to and given serious weight by some, not least of them the doting Howard Kurtz from the Washington Post. As we recover from our recent national madness, one can hope these ethically-pox-scarred spewers of political ipecac syrup may be forgotten as quickly as they were embraced by so many millions.
I must confess that it would be so easy to say, "You're a Democrat," or, "You're a liberal," and avoid listening to what follows. Except, of course, I am not a Democrat (party affiliation in our country is by decree and voting habit rather than outright membership anyway, and that would still disqualify me, as I've voted for my passel of Republicans, mostly for local office) and being a liberal in no way blinds me to the realities of intellectual shallowness, defending corruption, and the utter moral vacuity of much our political class today. Were there Democrats who displayed these characteristics (as there have been, in spades, throughout history) I would be as equally dismissive of them, and repudiate them, as I am of our current gaggle of geese. The problem, of course, is that I find it difficult to think of any prominent Democrats who have displayed the utter contempt for our national feeling, our history, our ideals, our laws, our sense of decency, or our Constitution as have those named above (and many more not named). Having said that, the point here is not a partisan one; our current government leaders, at least in the Executive Branch happen to be Republican, and they happen to be the most low and petty corrupt bunch this country has perhaps ever seen. Of course, there are exited members from the previous, unlamented Republican-controlled Congresses (Tom DeLay, Dick Armey, Newt Gingrich) who are as utterly empty of any moral sense as those who remain in power, but we can laugh at them now, ridiculous figures that they are (run, Newt, run!).
The issue is not a liberal or conservative one; there are plenty of conservatives who are outraged by the behavior of the Bush Administration, and wish nothing more than its disappearance from the national landscape. The issue is not a partisan one; Republicans understand that if they take too much time continuing to support Bush & Co., their party might be irreparably damaged by its assault on America. The issue is the one in italics at top - corruption. Making dirty. Making evil. Our entire country is in desperate need of a political high colonic, purging ourselves then washing thoroughly of the virus that has infected it.
The Justice Department has been damaged by what has happened, as has the Army, now the General Services Administration (of all things; they are the bureaucrats bureaucracy) - there are few places left in our national government left untouched by the taint of the filthy fingers of this bunch. I have said it before, and I will say it now - these people are the anti-Midas. Rather than gold, they turn everything they touch into corruption, foulness, dirt, filth. We should be rid of them before the take the whole country down with them.
For those of you who may be inclined to defend the Bush Administration, consider this - in eight years of investigating Clinton, the most you could ever get on him was he couldn't keep his pants zipped. In two months of serious oversight, the Bush Administration has been brought to a screeching halt by the wealth of corruption that has been dragged, kicking and screaming, in to the light. Does this tell you nothing? Are your powers of thought and reason so tainted by ideological fixation that you do not realize what is happening to us? I urge any reader of this blog, whether casual or regular, to consider what legacy you want to leave for your children - the moral and political bankruptcy of an entire country, or the thought that maybe, just maybe, you stood up and did the right thing for the right reasons even though it was also difficult to do?
I will end this with a thought that just occurred to me, as I sat and listened to Dream Theater's song about 9/11, "Sacrificed Sons" - The Bush Administration has done more damage to the United States than any terrorist has ever done.
Virtual Tin Cup
