The dominoes are beginning to topple
Poor Ol' George didn't have a very good week. Still hurting from his administration's pathetic response to Hurricane Katrina and the general public's dissatisfaction with the War on Terra, now he has to deal with Harriet getting "miered" and his veep's chief of staff being indicted.
Back when Bush nominated Miers for the Supreme Court, a general hue and cry made it's way across all party lines - "what is he thinking?". And the short answer, of course, is "he's not". Dubya prides himself on his gut instincts, and that's what he used in this case. Nominating someone with no experience, credentials, or temperament for the job was strictly a gut call, and now it's biting him in another part of his anatomy.
And as for Lewis "Scooter" Libby (I'd love to hear the back story about that nickname), it's indicative of the culture in the Bush White House, and the investigation's not over yet. I kinda hoped Karl Rove would have been one of the first to be indicted, but at least he hasn't been cleared yet.
The indictment indicates that Libby wasn't working alone, and that Dick Cheney's office went to great lengths to find out everything they could about Joseph Wilson, the trip he took to Niger, and his wife. It indicates that they knew Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, worked in the CIA's counterproliferation division, and that she most likely was undercover. Yet they decided to reveal the information to the press anyway, in order to retaliate against Wilson for speaking out against supposed data that the administration was using to promote the invasion of Iraq.
Some pundits are saying that this investigation is a witch hunt, and is politically motivated. Yet the lead investigator, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, was appointed by Bush. And if he was politically motivated, he'd have trumped up charges against Rove, who's a much bigger fish than Libby.
In fact, all of the ethics and legal challenges being made against the Republican leadership are being called politically motivated. I won't argue that point, because what I'm writing now - in fact the reason that I started this blog - is because of political motivation. I demand that our elected and appointed officials act in my, and my fellow citizens', best interest. Not in the best interest of contributors and polical cronies. I expect them to be honest, fair and impartial.
I know, I'm asking for a lot. It would be much harder to find an honest politician than a dishonest one. By definition, anyone who seeks public office is not qualified to serve in it. You could swing a stick in the Halls of Congress and hit half a dozen crooked politicians. With your eyes closed.
Which is why this witch hunt is so easy. Powerful men such as Tom "I am the federral government" DeLay aren't used to the 'little people' telling them what they can and can't do, and they step over the ethics line. Sooner or later, they'll get caught and have to face the music, as the former House Majority Leader DeLay is now for money laundering and conspiracy.
Then there's Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, facing insider trading allegations. And Jack Abramoff, who less than a year ago was one of the most powerful influence peddlers in Washington, and now he's virtually dropped off the radar screen.
Bush was elected in 2000 on the promise to restore honor and dignity to the White House. Five years later its even worse than before he took office. Bill Clinton was impeached for lying about sexual relations with an intern, and yes, that was politically motivated also (the impeachment, not the relations). Now we have senior White House officials, possibly up to and including the Vice President, lying about the need to invade a sovereign nation and start a war that has claimed 2000 American lives and counting and shows no signs of ever ending.
Abramoff, DeLay, Frist, Libby, Rove, Cheney. The dominoes are beginning to topple. And this particular politically motivated pundit won't rest until the last bone falls. The one that sits in the Oval Office.
Back when Bush nominated Miers for the Supreme Court, a general hue and cry made it's way across all party lines - "what is he thinking?". And the short answer, of course, is "he's not". Dubya prides himself on his gut instincts, and that's what he used in this case. Nominating someone with no experience, credentials, or temperament for the job was strictly a gut call, and now it's biting him in another part of his anatomy.
And as for Lewis "Scooter" Libby (I'd love to hear the back story about that nickname), it's indicative of the culture in the Bush White House, and the investigation's not over yet. I kinda hoped Karl Rove would have been one of the first to be indicted, but at least he hasn't been cleared yet.
The indictment indicates that Libby wasn't working alone, and that Dick Cheney's office went to great lengths to find out everything they could about Joseph Wilson, the trip he took to Niger, and his wife. It indicates that they knew Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, worked in the CIA's counterproliferation division, and that she most likely was undercover. Yet they decided to reveal the information to the press anyway, in order to retaliate against Wilson for speaking out against supposed data that the administration was using to promote the invasion of Iraq.
Some pundits are saying that this investigation is a witch hunt, and is politically motivated. Yet the lead investigator, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, was appointed by Bush. And if he was politically motivated, he'd have trumped up charges against Rove, who's a much bigger fish than Libby.
In fact, all of the ethics and legal challenges being made against the Republican leadership are being called politically motivated. I won't argue that point, because what I'm writing now - in fact the reason that I started this blog - is because of political motivation. I demand that our elected and appointed officials act in my, and my fellow citizens', best interest. Not in the best interest of contributors and polical cronies. I expect them to be honest, fair and impartial.
I know, I'm asking for a lot. It would be much harder to find an honest politician than a dishonest one. By definition, anyone who seeks public office is not qualified to serve in it. You could swing a stick in the Halls of Congress and hit half a dozen crooked politicians. With your eyes closed.
Which is why this witch hunt is so easy. Powerful men such as Tom "I am the federral government" DeLay aren't used to the 'little people' telling them what they can and can't do, and they step over the ethics line. Sooner or later, they'll get caught and have to face the music, as the former House Majority Leader DeLay is now for money laundering and conspiracy.
Then there's Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, facing insider trading allegations. And Jack Abramoff, who less than a year ago was one of the most powerful influence peddlers in Washington, and now he's virtually dropped off the radar screen.
Bush was elected in 2000 on the promise to restore honor and dignity to the White House. Five years later its even worse than before he took office. Bill Clinton was impeached for lying about sexual relations with an intern, and yes, that was politically motivated also (the impeachment, not the relations). Now we have senior White House officials, possibly up to and including the Vice President, lying about the need to invade a sovereign nation and start a war that has claimed 2000 American lives and counting and shows no signs of ever ending.
Abramoff, DeLay, Frist, Libby, Rove, Cheney. The dominoes are beginning to topple. And this particular politically motivated pundit won't rest until the last bone falls. The one that sits in the Oval Office.
posted by Wyld Card at
11:35 AM
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