First it was just war games to the Rs after 9/11. Republicans got to defend democracy and secure oilfields at the same time. This provided both financial satisfaction from war contracts and moral satisfaction in that we believed we were pursuing the 9/11 villans. There were some minimal successeses like toppling the statue of Sadaam that Republicans blew up into "Mission Accomplished". Then revelations came out about how the war was being conducted, and it became clear the Iraq action was not all good, clean combat. Gitmo, Abu Ghraib, extraordinary renditions, these became new words in an increasingly ugly vocabulary.
Photos followed which showed clear evidence of prisoner abuse. The word torture crept into these messages. America and the world reeled in shock. Americans were thought to abide by the Geneva Convention. We purport to spread democracy, not torture and violence. Our illusions about this government, pretty thin to begin with, became shattered into tiny, tiny pieces.
Our trust was further shaken as news of wiretaps and server lists maintained of our emails and phone calls for "national security" reasons. More evidence of torture emerged, and our Attorney General helped draft legislation that would legalize, in America and in no other Geneva Convention signator's country, torture deemed as inhumane under the Convention. Deaths began to be reported at American prisons. Then news of CIA prisons abroad emerged. Now Congress has enacted legislation to enshrine such acts and the administration's lack of legal culpability for same in law.
Back home at Bush Central, corruption after corruption emerged. With Rs in the saddle, corruption in the House, in the Senate, in Homeland Security, in the CIA, in the military, in Republican lobbyists, in Republican leadership, and in just about every matter touched by Republicans the stench of bad faith, broken promises, and backroom deals emerged. Money by the billions went unaccounted for in Iraq and New Orleans. The poor people of New Orleans suffered while billions in relief effort failed to help them. Republican governance fouled the nest wherever it appeared.
Republican accomplishments are mostly tax cuts for the rich. Our environment is more degraded, our schools have less funding, our health care system is the only sector creating jobs in this economy, and we are less safe at home and abroad because of the Bush War on Terror.
Who will rid us of this pestilent presidency? The vote still isn't assured, as 80% will be cast electronically. Key Congressional races are still subject to tampering and the results of gerrymandering.
Just asking!