If we the people do not hold our elected officials accountable, when is it going to start getting better?
It was Harry Truman who said, "The buck stops here." That means more than just taking responsibility. What he was saying is that he was accountable to the American people for the results of his actions.
On the other hand, Bush would rather obfuscate the facts, blame Clinton, blame the intelligence community, blame Al Qaeda, and blame Enron. He sends his rabid attack dogs to smear John F. Kerry in a vain attempt to keep you from holding him accountable for the mess in which we find ourselves at home and abroad.
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This Bush isn't burning- he's just blowing smoke. He was warned about an Al-Qaeda attack a month in advance, but he chose to go on vacation instead of being there for us when we needed him. Then, instead of utilizing every resource available to him to bringing the terrorist network to justice, he chose to try to trick the American people into giving up our blood and treasure, our sons and daughters, to heedlessly plunge into an unnecessary, diversionary, reckless, divisive, and ultimately unwinnable war against a country that had nothing to do with the terrible and tragic deaths of September 11, 2001.
He is using the deaths of our brave firefighters and policemen, as well as the deaths of innocent men, women and children to get himself re-elected so he can help the radical right realize its dream of a regressive, repressive, plutocratic society bent on world-domination and denying the needs of the many to satisfy the needs of the privileged few. Then, having filled their coffers to the brim, we hope that something, anything will trickle down to the rest of us, but having taken our opportunity knocks, they conclude that we got what we deserve, and they're right. Shit rolls downhill, and yes, they really are trickling on us.
This great land, where our ancestors came to escape religious oppression, now attempts to impose the majority view onto everyone. The founders of our great democracy foresaw this, and put checks and balances into our constitution to protect minority views from being oppressed. Yet this president has nearly succeeded in turning the congress into his very own rubber stamp and is on the verge of packing the Supreme Court with justices willing to let the power of the executive branch grow unchecked.
He likes to tell you, go ahead and shop, spend money, don't worry, we'll take care of you. What he is forgetting is that this is America- and the true power of this great democracy lies with the people- we take care of us- and it is we who must hold Bush accountable.
As we face the crossroads of history, let us remember that it is we who have the power. It is we who must have the vision of a brighter future for our children and their children. Do we really want to leave future generations the burden of paying for the debts that we didn't have the moral fortitude to pay ourselves? Do we want to leave this cosmic campground in better shape than we found it? Will we seek strong solutions to long-term problems like sustainable energy, or wait until crisis forces us to make unpalatable choices later on? Will we settle for the sugar high and ultimate crash of regressive tax cuts to peak the economy at election time when we could choose to nurture our economy and provide the fundamental things it needs to grow and continue to support our political and military influence throughout the world? We can bleed red ink for only so long until our power has drained away and our hopes and dreams die along with it.
What will our children say about us when we are gone? What will history record of this great 215 year experiment in democracy and freedom? The success of our nation is not in the hands of right wing think tanks and neocon strategists, or a cowed media unable to effectively referee this contest at a crucial point in history. It is up to us. Do not ask with whom the buck stops. It stops with thee.
We have to have the vision to see through swift boat ads and typewriter history, gay marriage bans, flag burning amendments, tax cuts that are really tax increases on our children, and politicians who would use our biggest tragedies and fears against us. We don't need to cut down the trees to see the forest; we just need to find some higher ground. We need time to put the events of the past few years into perspective, but time is in short supply, and tomorrow is promised to no one as we rush headlong toward our destiny.
If not now, when? If not us, who?