TO: David Brooks
CC: Angry Republicans
Mr. Brooks,
I saw you on News Hour where you had this to say:
Sitting up there on the airplane and looking out the window? That was terrible!
And the three days of doing nothing, really, on Bush was terrible.
Even today, I found myself -- and as you know, I support his policies quite often - (but I) look at him today, and earlier in the program...this is how Mark Shields must feel looking at them. I'm angry at the guy, and maybe it'll pass for me, but a lot of people, and a lot of Republicans, uh, are furious right now.
Actually, in the interest of full disclosure, I saw you in a clip from the show via crooksandliars.com, so you'll forgive me if I missed some important context to your comments.
I also read your important column, The Bursting Point, which I found to be a wise reflection on the situation.
But the thing that confused me is when you talked about the anger that you, and many other Republicans, felt towards Bush. Allow me to elaborate...
I remember other times Republicans have been angry. I think back to Abu Gharib, and remember that the solid majority of both Democrats and Republicans passionately denounced the crime, and many called for the head of Rumsfeld served cold on a political platter. You were angry, we were angry.
Nothing came of our anger.
Despite the conscience of conservatives, only the lowly soldier ever felt the sting and humiliation that American public and Muslims around the world felt from the incident. The administration peddled a ridiculous "few bad apples" defense, completely shirking responsibility, and you bought it.
Or did you? Did you buy that defense, Mr. Brooks? I don't mean to put words in your mouth, it's just that you maintained unwavering support for Bush's policies, even when the policies were infected with the kind of incompetence you write of in your recent column.
Sensing a fumble, other conservatives with much less conscience, people like Rush Limbaugh (who really speaks the loudest of all conservatives), then took the ball, and ran down the field into end zone, where they scored a political touchdown of plausible deniability. That play was challenged by few on the Right. Even as other countries saw us cheating, there were few cries of foul, and pretty soon, it was back to routing for the home team.
I know the war is important to you, Mr. Brooks. I have also been aware, as maybe you have, of the extensive dishonesty and incompetence of the guys who waged that war. My outrage for such incompetence and dishonesty has always been a part of my anger. Is it part of yours now, Mr. Brooks?
I also know that me and much of the Left (who I don't always associate myself with) have felt anger from the kind of incompetent dishonesty that never found Weapons of Mass Destruction. We recognized it as a perilous trait that would doom us to more kinds of failures - tragic ones. We spoke out about it, loudly (even shrilly), and often. We screamed about lack of body armor, and veterans benefits, but no matter how true or false our concerns they were so easily dismissed as "liberal whining", or "blame America first", or - well I could go on, but you remember.
Throughout this time, I have see a weak Democratic leadership; one that is often hard to defend. But I know the message from the grassroots has always been an angry call for accountability.
On the other side of the fence, I see a lot of Republicans who voted not once but twice for the leader who we can now widely agree has failed/is-failing us. People who, at almost every opportunity, defended the president that has brought shame upon our country before (Abu Gharib). People who, given the choice between accountability and reputation, sided with keeping the strong image of the president - even as it hung so falsely. I don't remember hearing the same call for accountability from the Right, or at least a sustained one.
So you will forgive my skepticism about the anger you say you feel. Is this the kind of anger that I have been feeling for so long now: a certain deprivation of accountability? Or is this the Abu Gharib sort of anger that gives our incompetents one more chance to fail our nation?
I am genuinely interested in your response, Mr. Brooks, and the response of angry Republicans. I believe your anger holds the key to improving our government in way that can save lives, instead of spending them so needlessly.
Thanks for listening -
- KJ