Kevin Drum is asserting that
a second Bush term would be scandal ridden:
First, power corrupts. It's a truism that as leaders become used to the idea that no one can really hold them to account, they increasingly push the envelope of acceptable behavior and eventually push too far. Not just in America, but in practically every democracy, this inevitably leads to abuses of power that eventually turn into scandals both small and large.
George Bush is more susceptible than most to this dynamic. Partly this is because his party controls Congress, so he has no real political oversight to keep him honest. But it's also because both Bush and the current Republican Party leadership have already demonstrated a ruthlessness and disregard for traditional political norms unseen since Nixon was jotting down his enemies list: holding open votes while they bully recalcitrant colleagues, ramming through midterm redistricting, suspending the Freedom of Information Act in all but theory, and cavalierly hiding routine budget data from Congress--all combined with a general mania for secrecy that leaves even John Dean in awe. It's a dangerous and intoxicating brew, and George Bush has demonstrated the combination of ruthlessness, siege mentality, and religious faith in his own righteousness that makes it almost inevitable that he will take a step too far.
This is merely the first reason a second term Bush would be mired in scandal. Drum also cites the fact that it often takes several years for a scandal to unfold, and there are several on Bush's burner right now: Valerie Plame, Abu Ghraib, the National Guard, intelligence failures.....each one or all of them could lead to a major blowup. Third is the desire to create a reason to be at center stage.
This would, in my opinion, be an argument for a second Bush term. Given the way that the Republican Party (especially in the House) tends to be entangled with the Administration, it will leave them with the stench of Bush's scandal as well. "When you lie with pigs..." as they say. It might be the best way for the Democrats to come back to majority status in the House AND gain the Executive at the same time.
But....we have the welfare of the nation to consider. Can we endure four more years of massive debt, foreign policy debaucles and blatant ineptitude in the handling terrorism? That's a big set of problems to have to recover from.
This piece is crossposted at:
http://preemptivekarma.com/2004/09/drum-bush-2nd-termscandal.html
