Anonymous wrote:You think you can take us on?
I think Bush is taking us for a ride. It's that one where it throws you in the air real high, and when you come down, your feet are missing.
I would agree with the cronyism assessment, but stupid? He's just taking care of "his people". This is to be expected. And Libby was merely the fall guy (in a sense, the "messenger"). Don't shoot the messenger (as they say). That was Fitzgerald's mistake -- even though he had a case against Libby once he lied under oath. Hmm....does this sound like history repeating itself (comparisons to Watergate already are too easy).
The big problem I have with this Libby situation is that Dick (Armitage) and Dick (Cheney) are the ones who told Libby to setup Joe Wilson, and Libby took the fall. He had to lie to cover their asses (and Karl Rove is involved, too). If Fitzgerald had bigger balls, he'd continue his case and investigate the source, not the fall-guy. Then, it would be much harder for Bush to pardon the bigger wheels (although he would, but the flak would be tremendous).
Anyhow, this might seem like a pyrrhic victory, but it's another leak in the dike. As the water pressure builds, we may have a chance of deposing the emperor in his palace.
Gonzalez is next. Mark my words,
the Senate will not take this lightly. Slowly but surely, the moderate Republicans are turning on this self-aggrandizing adminstration. This is the most corrupt leadership since Nixon, and as we learn more, we see the standards being set even lower.
However, I'd like to see more exposure of these bastards than just some canned responses to a little bit of perjury and injustice (which are cliches in today's corrupt world). Frankly, I expect this Administration to lie to me blatantly. I also know they will appoint their friends to offices without any regards for skills to do the job. Nepotism is rampant and I don't accept that, but I do expect it and it would surprise me to see that situation change in any meaningful way. If you're from Texas or are in any way a religious zealot (especially if you're evangelical Christian), you're a shoe-in for any position, regardless of intelligence or competence.
I keep thinking of this band which is also a political term: Theivery Corporation. That's what we've got for the Executive Branch, and if the Senate (the Judiciary??? -- forget about them, the Supreme Court is lost!) doesn't take a stand, we're all very much screwed.
With all this fear-mongering and power-tripping, it's a great wonder that World War III hasn't already started. Or maybe it has, and in our little insulated bubbles, we aren't seeing the writing on so many walls.
There is no such thing as balance anymore, at least in the traditional sense (with regards to "balance of power"). The Executive Branch right now is all-mighty, and if the other two branches of the government fail, there is only one alternative. And there's no such thing as a peaceful revolution (historically speaking, although perhaps this is still possible...it is highly unlikely). If the Senate can't straighten out the imbalance of power, despotism is the inevitable outcome.
The glimmer of hope is that people like Dick Lugar are starting to draw the line. This trend can continue, with the right incentives. But I'm not sure what those are (besides the obvious: bribery, extortion, blackmail, etc).