Frontpaged at Political Strategy
As the sweltering summer continues, and residents of the Hill and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue prepare to escape from the political cesspool for their traditional August recess, many citizens probably look forward to fewer distractions of the Republican scandals emerging since Bush II began.
With such a large cast, it is difficult to keep track, much less agree on a nomenclature that applies to each case. The most recent shift in slogans has garnered much deserved ridicule. By tweaking the language just a little, the Global War On Terror has been magically transformed to sound less threatening: "a global struggle against violent extremism." Whew, that certainly changes things.
Notwithstanding Bob Herbert's excellent analysis on the motivations to invade Iraq, there is another way to describe what's unfolded over the past few months. To those following the sadly disturbing RoveGate, TreasonGate, PlameGate, CIAGate saga, these latest details are all part of a very simple scandal: this is about power--getting it, keeping it, and destroying anyone who threatens to take it--at any price.
The Bush Team has one consistent guiding principle, if not one mantra: polarization (or, "you're either with us or against us.") The trouble is, though, adhering to that message often requires actions that defy logic, good sense, language protocols, and legal procedures. In this Administration, loyalty is defined by how much you can get away with before you get caught. Thus the need for inconsistency, deceptive language, bullying tactics, distorted "facts," end-around runs, altered rationales, and my personal favorite, "faulty intelligence."
What must loyalists do to demonstrate their unwavering support? Be comfortable with hypocrisy, unethical behavior, criminal activity, continual political dirty tricks, personal attacks, convenient facts, lies, cover-ups, abandonment of the middle class, withholding information from citizens and courts, surveillance, tacit acknowledgement of necessary torture, and shoring up the infinite resources of corporate, wealthy, or extremist supporters.
It's quite tiresome to keep plodding on through the same old failed policies and attitudes, which are increasingly obvious to most Americans. Bloomberg's analysis today reveal that Bush's approval ratings for the War in Iraq are at 40%, and four major polling organizations report falling numbers on how he's handling terrorism:
For the first time, a majority of Americans, 51 percent, say the administration ``deliberately misled'' the country about whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction prior to the U.S.- led invasion, according to the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll conducted July 22-24. A July 8-11 Journal/NBC poll showed Bush getting the lowest rating of his time in office for being ``honest and straightforward.'' Twenty-six percent gave Bush a ``very good'' rating on those characteristics and 32 percent gave him a ``very poor'' rating.
As more often noted these days, one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results--regardless of whatever slogans you use to describe it. How long will Scotty McClellan keep repeating the same non-messages empty of content or truth? How long will the White House press corps continue to show up for the gaggles and "briefings" expecting answers?
Abuse of power is easy, of course, when you also openly embrace a culture of corruption and greed. And rewarding the incompetent can be time consuming. But it's just plain showy when you have a parade.
From the viewing stand we have Dubya and Dick, and the Grand Marshal presiding over this cast of characters is Karl Rove. Riding in cars at this Power Parade of the notorious and mighty include: (just a few recent links, because, well, you know who they are):
Tom DeLay, Bill Frist, Rick Santorum, Randy "Duke Cunningham," Thomas T. Kontogiannis, Dennis Hastert, Pat Roberts, Richard Lugar, Condi Rice, Alberto Gonzales, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, John Bolton, Ken Mehlman, Ken Lay, James Dobson, and Tony Perkins.
The performing bands include Judy Miller, Bob Novak,
Joseph M. Della Ratta, FOX news, Sinclair Broadcasting, Jeff Gannon, Ari Fleischer, Matt Cooper, Armstrong Williams, Margaret Spellings, Frank Luntz, Robert Luskin, Doug Feith, Bernie Ebbers, Dennis Kozlowski,
Bob Ney, Jeb Bush, Jim Ellis,
John Colyandro, Andy Card, Dan Bartlett, at least two other unnamed senior officials, and current musicians in the
Jean Schmidt special election campaign in Ohio.
Bringing up the rear, we have Jack Abramoff, Ralph Reed, George Tenet, 5 members of SCOTUS, Katherine Harris, Ken Blackwell, Ted Olson, Jim Baker, the Swift Boaters, Paul Bremer, John Ashcroft, Rod Paige, Jim Tobin, Bernie Kerik, David Brooks, the Cato Institute, the Heritage Foundation, the Drudge Report, Powerline, Instapundit, the Free Republic, etc., etc., etc.
Of course, thousands of other corporate sponsors, volunteers, planners, coordinators, enablers, and participants too numerous to list contributed to the scale of this show.
When you stop to think about it, it's really a very impressive gathering. And the hits just keep coming. Although some Republicans are beginning to go wobbly under the constant barrage of evidence that the Administration operates, mandates, and defends this culture of corruption, most would still prefer a coveted place on this parade route.
(Wait-- Can you hear that? Is that the distinct refrain of a competing chorus of bloggers?)