Olbermann's not the only person despondent about the state of the republic.
The fact is, our country is on life support - and the only ones keeping it alive are bureaucrats. Think about it: of all the egregious wrongs that Bush and the Republican Reign have perpetrated over the past several years, the only ones about which anything concrete is being done on a national level are Plamegate (where Patrick Fitzgerald and his team continue their dogged, inexorable work) and the ever-widening Jack Abramoff scandal. And, unless I'm missing something, that's it.
And you'll note that
neither of those investigations is being conducted under the auspices of our Congress - rather, they are moving forward under the direction of long-time government employees.
Bureaucrats. Which, actually, is appropriate. The future of our democracy is in the hands of bureaucrats, because no one else with the power to do anything about it has the desire or the
cojones to utter more than a peep in mock protest.
So - a whopping two (count `em, two) criminal or traitorous enterprises being prosecuted or even investigated at the national level. Depressing. After the above discouragingly short list, here on the other hand are just a few of the horrors about which there has been NO concrete action taken at the national level by anyone with subpoena or enforcement power: Iraq; Dubai Ports World; warrantless NSA spying; torture at Guantanamo, Bagram and elsewhere; exhumation of the Espionage Act; giveaway of federal lands; the coverup after Cheney's shooting of Harry Whittington - and that's just a partial list.
The only place that our legislative branch is even remotely carrying on its oversight function is in relation to the FEMA/Katrina fiasco, where a report - a report! - was issued a few weeks ago that at least placed part of the blame at the foot of the Bush Administration.
So - what this means is that, effectively:
No elected body is using its power to investigate these matters, or to hold anyone involved accountable.
No major media outlet is digging into these scandals, relentlessly exposing the wrongdoers and insisting on answers to the tough questions.
And these are not trivial issues. These matters affect America's standing in the world. They affect the physical safety of American citizens. They threaten the very foundations of our constitutional democracy. Taken as a group, these scandals are the signs of a country slipping into secretive totalitarianism and repression. And NOTHING is being done about it.
If that sounds like hyperbole, you haven't been paying attention.
The only reason I haven't run screaming for the exits yet is that a few dedicated, fearless BUREAUCRATS are keeping democracy alive in this country - barely. Patrick Fitzgerald and those prosecuting Abramoff keep chugging away, trying to find the truth and bring it to light. Their work is giving hope to those of us on The Outside, as our democratic process continues to show fewer and fewer dim signs of life.
Our national democracy, in order to function properly, relies upon the robust, unfettered operation of certain fundamental mechanisms. Two of the most important of those mechanisms - our elected officials and the press - are failing us. A third mechanism - free and fair elections - is in danger of being utterly compromised, if it has not already been. As a result of those failures, this country is closer than at any point in my lifetime, and perhaps in the history of the republic, to becoming a regime run, not by and for the people, but by and for a cabal of crooked politicians and their cronies.
Right now, only a fourth, unheralded mechanism - the lowly federal bureaucracy - stands between us and a flatlining Constitution. Hunh. Funny, isn't it? Bureaucrats: the last bulwark of democracy.
Who'da thunk?