While I actually managed to find something other than the Libby commutation to write about, is there really anything else out there? I thought not. By the way, I want to make it clear to commenters here, that on this issue, I will not respond to comments that deny the facts of the case, or fall back on Republican talking points. I refuse to grant them the credibility they crave so dearly. I am not dodging the issue; far from it. I just refuse to engage with people who want to pretend the world is different from the way it really is.
I work in a quintessentially blue-collar place. Those with whom I work are a diverse lot, but they share certain class similarities. I differ from them in many ways, but I tend to be mum about much of my life, because I do not wish to appear either haughty. Far from it. This is one reason why, when political discussions take place in the break room, I tend to be quiet. I know I have a penchant for pendancy, and so rather than bore people, I sit and listen. Sitting and listening is always a good thing, especially for those who think they know everything - you learn you don't know as much as you think.
Last night, the Libby commutation came up. The person who brought this up is a good, hard working person upon whom the label "redneck" not only fits, but would be worn with pride. A high school dropout, he has worked hard all his life to just keep afloat. His concerns are cars, NASCAR, cars, and beer, with the last sometimes going to the front of the line. When he broached the subject of Libby, he spoke for about two minutes, revealing that he was knowledgeable about the case, down to fine points of law. It was clear he knew exactly what the score was - and he was, to put it mildly, in high dudgeon over what Bush had done. As someone with a criminal record himself (a youthful indiscretion that forced him to spend time in a high school with bars on the windows, if you know what I mean), he understood that the phrase "you do the crime, you do the time" was a reality that should apply to everyone. He understood, also, that Bush did what he did not just out of a sense of class loyalty - his kind just don't go to prison - but out of fear. When this person mentioned "obstruction of justice", he did so clearly, without hyperbole, and showed an understanding of the depth of the charge that was surprising.
I write this not to show my own surprise at someone with less education than me being intelligent. I write this, rather, to point out that, despite much blathering all over the media that "most people don't care", it is clear to me that people not only care, they care enough to pay attention and have informed opinions about this and other issues. Being informed, they are mad as hell, not to put too fine a point on it.
This reminded me that too much of the elite commentary assumes that we here in fly-over country don't pay attention. We do, though. There may yet be hell to pay for this.
