William Greider: Hubris in High Places (The Nation)

[marmar]

BLOG | Posted 03/14/2007 @ 10:51am
Hubris in High Places

William Greider


The scandal action in Washington is intense, almost too much to properly savor.

That squirrely little right-winger at the Justice Department who was arranging a mass execution for US attorneys is compelled to resign. Now people want his boss, the precious-speaking Attorney General, to resign too.

The Army doctors who looked the other way as health care for wounded soldiers deteriorated have resigned. Then the Marine general who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs comes along and gratuitously attacks homosexuals. Maybe he should the join the list.

All this upset takes us back to a more settled time when George W. Bush could walk on water. If he stepped into manure, as he frequently did, nobody would make much fuss. He was Bush-Rove, after all, and invincible. The Republican party thought it was going to be the Thousand Year Majority. Dems grieved over their impotence and sulked at the brilliance of their opposition.

This seems like ancient history now that the Bush regime is in free fall, but it was actually just two years ago. GWB had just won his re-election and had indeed accumulated considerable political capital. He announced he was going to spend some of it by taking down the ultimate New Deal monument--the much beloved Social Security System. Conventional wisdom assumed he would succeed. The people were not consulted. But then they had just re-elected this man so it must be what they want, too. Yes, political reasoning in Washington is that shallow. ....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion?bid=15

[Rydz777]

1. Free fall indeed

The old term "lame duck" proves to be inadequate - Bush's situation, completely self-inflicted - is so much worse. In a parliamentary system, resignation would be in order. In our system, if he were to resign, we would get Cheney - from the frying pan into the fire.