I realize everyone is desperately seeking revenge for the last eight years, but eventually we will have to come to terms with the fact that we are not going to see the current administration investigated or punished to any great extent.
What will happen is what ALWAYS happens. A few low level flunkies will take some heat and maybe even do some short stint in a country club prison. The real movers and shakers responsible for the reprehensible nature of the Bush Administration will be beyond the reach of justice.
The fact that they have broken the law is immaterial, and no amount of wishing and hoping, wailing and gnashing is going to change that fact. I realize this is a viciously unpopular stand at the moment, but I believe in beating the rush: Get. Over. It.
And you what the real kicker is? That's what is best for the United States.
No, no, no, you scream. This isn't about revenge, it's about justice. It's about making sure it will never happen again. It's about what's right and fair. It's about upholding our ideals. It's about preserving democracy.
Sure it is.
It's about sticking it to the guy who you think has been sticking it to you. And that's fair enough. I not only get that, I feel it as intensely as anyone here. But let's not get on our moral, self-righteous high horse about it.
oh, I know. YOU are different. YOU are the one who is ACTUALLY interested in justice and the preservation of our ideals, not revenge. You also aren't fooling anyone. Just like in the movies, it's time for the "bad guy" in the black hat to get what's coming to him, eh? Well, this is the real world and there's more at stake here than your petty vision of comeuppance.
Often it's hard to see the forest for the trees in an environment as emotionally charged as this. You are getting pissed off right now, as you read this.
With that in mind, I will illustrate the point using something frivolous: NFL football. Not only is it an apt analogy, it illustrates the point without the emotional baggage of the Neocons transgressions, which are very real and very much deserving of the heated emotional response they incur.
When the New England Patriots were caught cheating in early 2007, it sent a shockwave through the league, garnering tons of media coverage and even more pundit verbosity than Rev. Wright, albeit in the sports world. We weren't talking about a losing team and a minor offense. Arguably the greatest football team of the decade (3 Superbowl Championships) had done illegal things and lied about them. The extent of the illegal activities is not known, as the initial investigation by the league was private. But there were rumblings of a vast, nefarious scandal lying just under the surface.
The comparison is obvious: The Bushies are the Patriots, having won the Whitehouse twice, and achieved a laundry list of illegal activities in that time that are just now coming to light, with the punditry coming from both the media (to some extent) and the left-wing blogosphere. The import question is what to do about it, and that's where we get to the meat of the issue.
Roger Goodell, the new NFL commissioner, was tasked with meting out justice in the name of the NFL. He levied a fine on the coach and docked the organization a first round draft pick. Even though that is the stiffest penalty the NFL has ever levied, it amounts to a slap on the wrist in comparison to the adulation, money and fame achieved by 3 allegedly tainted Superbowl wins. That matches with our future scenario with the Bush Administration: they will likewise receive, in various forms, no more than a slap on the wrist.
Goodell then requested all the evidence in relation to the case (tapes, records, videos, etc.). Guess what he did with them? He burned them.
That's right. He burned them, officially ending not only the current investigation, but any hope of a continuing investigation into the further wrong-doing of the Patriots during that time.
Goodell knew there was too much at stake to waste time sifting through scandals that do nothing more than belittle the organization you are attempting to run. It would have been the worst thing for the league. The NFL becomes a weakened institution in the eyes of the fans as well as the players. The face of the league, it's champions, are shamed. The NFL becomes a second rate organization viewed not in the light of the very public attempt to clean up the league, but through the lens of the scandal/investigation which is making headlines. It cheapens the whole organization, including the championship trophy all teams are supposed to covet.
Instead, Gooodell made enough noise to know that any future attempts to subvert the rules would be dealt with severely, and swept the rest under the rug. The NFL could ill afford to "expose" all the wrongdoing. The NFL was able to move on, focusing on the future, not the past. Everyone is aware of what happened, but while the integrity of the league remained bruised, it stayed intact.
Likewise the US is currently bruised both domestically, and more importantly, abroad. The world is watching. The last thing we need is to air our dirty laundry for all to see. I realize it seems counter intuitive at the moment, but our needs are better served by moving forward and leading by example and SHOWING leadership, not sniping at the guys who wrecked the ship. Blame profits us nothing.
It has often been said that the best revenge is to live well. I believe that is what the next administration will attempt to do. And since it's going to happen anyway, we might as well look at it in the most positive light.
This doesn't mean we shouldn't fight. This doesn't mean we shouldn't do whatever we can to get whatever justice we can. We SHOULD be as active as possible. That's what good citizens do. This diary is just a counter to the self-righteous garment rending that goes on around here over this subject, usually on the front page. If Bush doesn't go on trial at the Hague, I promise you, democracy in general and the U.S. in specific will not cease to exist and to say otherwise is just ridiculous bloviation.
In my opinion, as much as I'd like to see it personally, Bush on trial would be a the worst thing we could do as a nation.
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Here are the main points of contention I envision with this analysis, and I offer my responses here so I'm not forced to post and repost them in the comments.
- If we don't punish the guilty, they will do it again.
If you think anything we are likely to do to Bush and Cheney will prevent any abused in the future you are not only naive, but lacking in historical background. This WILL happen again, regardless of our current actions. I'll guarantee it.
- It's about right and wrong. They are guilty and should be punished.
That is more naive than the one above. Of course they are. The fact is, they won't be, so why get bent out of shape about it? That's the emotional equivalent of throwing good money after bad. Let's just do what we can.
- It's about defending the integrity of the constitution.
The constitution has weathered more than the silly Bushies can dish out. Relax, the Constitution did not die, it just got the wind knocked out of it. It'll recover.