It's just another day

[elfs]

I have sane voices and insane voices among the people I actually read in my friends list, and one of the better sane voices is vodou_chile, who today swore "Today, I will put aside partisan bickering."

That's probably a sane attitude, but I cannot share it. Never in my wildest imaginings would I believe that any administration would allow a murderer like Bin Laden to taunt his victims and survivors six years after his initial attack. No administration of any ideological bent would be so stupid, so mendacious, so calumnous, that it would allow Bin Laden to murder 3000 American citizens-- and yet let him continue breathing. No American President would be so petty as to have his imagination so fixated on surpassing his father's legacy and "finishing the job" that he would withdraw from the pursuit of Bin Laden to engage in a war of choice:

"Tenet told me he briefed the president personally," said one of the former CIA officers. According to Tenet, Bush's response was to call the information "the same old thing." Bush insisted it was simply what Saddam wanted him to think. "The president had no interest in the intelligence," said the CIA officer. The other officer said, "Bush didn't give a fuck about the intelligence. He had his mind made up."

No administration would be headed and empowered by a base so craven that it would rather throw away 4000 American soldiers' lives, destroy our international reputation, and bankrupt our children's futures, than admit it was wrong:

It was a Republican state party boss, Senator Boies Penrose of Pennsylvania, who early this century stated with notable candor the basic principle and purpose of present-day party politics. In the face of a powerful state and national resurgence of reform and the sentiments of the majority of the Republican rank and file, Penrose put up a losing slate of stand-pat party hacks. When a fellow Republican accused him of ruining the party, Penrose replied, "Yes, but I'll preside over the ruins."

This is the reason I write escapist stories; the real world is right now more disturbing and irrational than my wildest imaginings.

Comments

[sirfox.livejournal.com]

Totally aside from moral judgments about our politicians, one thing that's really fascinated me in my lifetime is watching political cycles. Groups come into power, get used to it, forget who put them in power in the first place, and way, and generally end up self-destructing, and letting another group take their place. After ages in control of much of the government, the democrats got pushed out partway through Clinton's term, and it started swinging back the other way.

I'm just astonished at how damned FAST the GOP's done the same thing. They had the whole thing, and methodically pissed it all away. I'm certainly happy to see them do it, i'm just amazed that the people doing so can be so blind to the very obvious consequences.

[sirfox.livejournal.com]

that should be "and why" not "way".

I couldn't ask you to darken the text we see when writing here, could i? it's hard to read my own responses as i'm writing them.

[elfs.livejournal.com]

I wish I knew how. The inner workings of livejournal aren't something I've delved into very much.

[kengr]

There's an option somewhere to view entries on your friends page in your style. It's the only way I can read some people's journals.