For the last couple of decades GOP has perfected the art of political malpractice. They have worked the refs and eroded the cornerstones of check and balances. Lies and darned lies were used to justify an ideological vision that was flawed to begin with. One of the stark reminders of the wretched ditch that GOP has dragged us all into was Chuck Todd's lament on the tantrum that GOP threw on jobs numbers in the middle of the election, that it was irresponsible to cast doubts on the non-partisan government functions. Almost two decades of utter disregard for common decency, the nature has turned its course. It took lots of effort to fight back and it will require lots of effort to keep it this way, but what a great place to be now.
It is perhaps nature's law that poisoning the well wouldn't work to one's advantage in the long term. Lies will catch up to you. In some cases, the aftermath is immediate: take the case of Mitt. In other cases, it takes time: take the case of George W. I am sure there wouldn't be many things W wouldn't trade to get rid of the ignoble legacy he is stuck with till the end of his life. He learned the hard way that life goes beyond winning a second term or dealing with daddy issues in simplistic terms.
Hard work pays off in the long term. No matter what, Clinton's presidential legacy is set in in stone. I am sure Obama will also retire with equal or even better legacy. When we look back at the years of utter corruption of the political system, Karl Rove's name stands out. However, one has to remember that it took more than Rove and Cheney to take us to the point where we are. It took folks from Judy Miller
to
Bad teeth Bush lady to Melissa Block to David Broder to George Will to Ken Starr to Jim Lehr. They all played a role.
The lesson is to do our job, to do what is required of us with courage. If everyone stands up for truth, no matter how small, in the long term, everything will work out.