Re-reading posts and comments from this past week, I realized I have been unaccountably short with those whose political persuasion is different from mine. To be blunt, I have casually dismissed those who might want to argue one point or another - often quite rudely. This is antithetical to pretty much everything I believe, and the whole reason for this blog - for crying out loud, I link to right-wingers for a reason! Yet, I think there is an explanation for this that goes beyond being tired and preoccupied this week, having less time than usual both just in terms of time but also mental energy, to do serious, considered writing. Part of my shortness has been a result of these reasons, reasons that should be irrelevant; should I not have anything substantive to say, I should refrain from saying anything, rather than just attacking willy-nilly, or dismissing willy-nilly, those who come here in good faith and beg to differ with me. For my tone, for my shortness, and for my rudeness I apologize.
There is another reason, however, directly related to the issues in question - the war in Iraq, the USA firings, the credibility of the right wing in our national discourse - that has more substance to it. There are serious, hard-working, thoughtful people on the internet - Talking Points Memo and Fire Dog Lake to name two - who have done so much heavy lifting on the attorney firings and Scooter Libby trial respectively, with Josh Marshall and the gang at TPM offering themselves as a research clearing house for citizens to read the DoJ document dumps that one tires after a while of nonsensical "talking points", "phrases of the day", "memes", "tropes", and all the other nonsense one gets in our political discourse, from the idiotic "Stay the Course" this summer to the clearly irrelevant "serves at the pleasure of the President" today. We are in the midst of more than a vague Constitutional crisis right now, driven by the reckless pursuit of a fantasy called the Unitary Executive, fed by lies, the shredding of the Constitution, and the political manipulation of just about everything, from the law to the lives of our soldiers, sailors, marines, and air personnel.
Many on the right continue to support the President (although, with Nixonian poll numbers, this is more heat than light), and that is certainly their right. For me, it is important to separate out political support based upon - what? ideological fervor? abstract commitment to certain political principles? - factors that are deeply held, in fact part of one's make-up as a person, and the simple facts as they come to light. It would be nice if our world always conformed to the way we wish it was, or believed it to be, or hoped it could be, or whatever. Sadly for too many on the right, they continue to defend what is, even from the scant evidence handed over by this most secretive of administrations, indefensible. From the war to Walter Reed to tax cuts to the firing of United States Attorneys for political reasons, the Bush Administration has exhausted its reserve of good faith and credibility with much of the public, myself included. It is one thing to pretend to be cynical and say, "Well, all politicians lie, what's the big deal." Except, all politicians don't lie, most are honest, hard-working, thoughtful people, sometimes sacrificing families and health for the sake of the public welfare. With the current administration, however, all we have are men and women too small for the offices they hold lying almost constantly about pretty much everything. Our democratic republic can only work if there is mutual trust between the governed and the government. The Bush Administration has exhausted that trust - and the endless, monotonous repetition of their favorite talking points by everyone from Brit Hume on FOXNews to conservative bloggers is not just tiresome, it is irritating. We need to have serious, thoughtful commentary and discussions. Instead, days after it is thoroughly debunked, I read both from nationally respected journalist Michael Kinsley and local blogger Neon Prime Time that what Bush did was OK, because Clinton did it, too. One gets tired of repeatedly saying, "No" to those who wish to dump mud in waters that are clear. It is hard enough to stay on topic, with our media simply stupid, without people willing to toe a party line to be the voice of this corrupt bunch in the Executive Branch.
Quite simply, I have neither the time nor the desire to go back and argue about things that are simply factually inaccurate - whether it concerns USA firings or who sponsored what peace march and what happened there. Our nation is in trouble, and I for one can no longer tolerate having to accommodate the sensibilities of those who either won't see it or can't see it for whatever reason, or who wish to deflect responsibility for our current situation away from the culprit sitting pretty in 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC. I mean no disrespect to those who hold views different from mine, but the simple truth is that, for me, because of the utter failure in every way this Administration has been and continues to be, I do not believe that conservative views as they are currently constituted in the United States have any credibility or should be accommodated as having any credibility. If this offends, I offer no apologies, because the track record is too long, and that record includes thousands of dead bodies, broken bodies, broken lives, broken careers, broken reputations, broken fiscal and monetary policy and outlook, and our utterly tattered Constitution.
In the future, I shall try to be a bit less, um, snarky to those who come and comment, although snark will be given in return for snark (Goat!). I just wanted to make my position clear because I felt it only fair to understand the change in tone. I will try harder in the future to be true to my own views, including offering serious weight to views that differ from mine.
Virtual Tin Cup
