Something awful took place in Michael Jackson's bedroom at Neverland Ranch, and America knows this even though he's never been convicted in a court of law. We understand and embrace the theory of innocent until proven guilty, but we also know that in America the legal deck is stacked in favor of a famous defendant who can afford the best defense money can buy.
We may never know exactly what happened in Michael Jackson's bedroom, but we know on a visceral level that a grown man having repeated "sleepovers" with pre-pubescent boys is suspicious. Enough evidence has been presented in court and leaked to the press to know that Michael Jackson isn't innocent, even if he hasn't been proven guilty.
Jackson might have been able to salvage something of his reputation if, after the first accusation and settlement, he had offered a mea culpa and admitted that he'd used bad judgement. But he didn't. He denied, denied, denied, and stubbornly kept having boys over while insisting that it was OK.
Michael Jackson is done in America. Finished. Over. Stick a fork in him.
Something dishonest took place in the Oval Office on the way to war in Iraq, and America knows this even though it's hasn't been proven in a court or a hearing and probably never will be. We understand the theory of Executive Privilege and give our President the benefit of the doubt, but we also know that the political deck is stacked in favor of a President with a compliant Congress unwilling to investigate what it doesn't want to see.
We may never know exactly what happened in the Oval Office, but we know on a visceral level that a President wanted war, and he cherry-picked the intelligence to convice America to go to war. Enough evidence has been leaked to the press to know this Administration isn't innocent, even though it may never be proven guilty.
Bush might be able to salvage something of his reputation if he can bring himself to offer a mea culpa and admit that he'd misled America in pursuit of what he believed to be a just cause. But he won't. He'll deny, deny, deny, and stubbornly keep sending Americans off to die while insisting that he never deceived us.
And I'm guessing Bush is done in America. Finished. Over. Stick a fork in him.
Something shameful happened in America's newsrooms on the way to war in Iraq, and America knows this even though it wasn't illegal and will never be adjudicated in a court of law. We embrace the theory of a Free Press, and like to believe that the press keeps us informed. But we also know that the press let us down in the lead-up to the Iraq war.
We may never know exactly what happened in America's newsrooms on the way to Iraq, but we know on a visceral level that the press enabled the President to sell America on the need for war virtually unchallenged. We know they refused to ask the tough questions, and allowed the Administration lead them around by the nose.
The press may still have the opportunity to salvage something of its reputation. It can offer a genuine mea culpa and admit that it participated in misleading America in the run-up to the war. Or it can deny, deny, deny and wind up finished, over, stick a fork in it -- permanantly discredited.