Friday, November 12, 2010

Surprised?

Well, I’m back after another three days of no television, no internet, no stress, just the sound of the waves, a view of the distant horizon, and fresh seafood in abundance. I recommend two or three days like this for everyone, especially when your frustration approaches the absolute boiling point as mine has done long ago.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending upon one’s point of view) I watched the Rachel Maddow show just now when we returned home. I was not surprised to learn that Mitch McConnell was a hypocritical, dishonest, disgusting creep. I mean, after all, he is a Republican. It appears that at the very moment he was publicly castigating Democrats for wanting to withdraw from Iraq he was privately advising Dubya to do precisely that. No doubt he felt his motives were far superior to those of the Democrats. They wanted withdrawal for security and fiscal reasons, McConnell wanted them for purely political reasons (to help Republicans in the 2006 elections). Aside from the fact that this demonstrates McConnell’s belief that the Republican Party is more important that national security, and that he could care less about the fate of our troops, it also raises an interesting dilemma for him. The claim that McConnell actually did make this request of Bush is apparently found in Bush’s just published Memoir. For McConnell to deny it would be for him to say Bush is a liar. As Bush is a liar, indeed, virtually a pathological one (along with Cheney), and as this is well known, it should be easy for McConnell to say so. But he is hardly in a position to say that his eight-year leader, whom he consistently supported, is a liar. Republican hypocrisy might be amusing if it were not so ubiquitous and constant, remember Gingrich on Clinton when he was at the same moment engaged in precisely the same illicit behavior, remember the Republican Governors who were publicly opposed to the stimulus while at the same time holding out their hands for the money? Remember McCain who carries hypocrisy to levels never before achieved. Lying and hypocrisy for Republicans is completely normal behavior. Scratch a Republican and you will inevitably find a hypocritical liar, anyway, enough of that.

Were you surprised to learn that George W. Bush almost certainly executed an innocent man? It has now been shown that in at least one case he did, a case that hinged upon a single hair, a hair that the defendant wanted subjected to DNA analysis, a request refused by Bush, that has now proven the man innocent. But this is, in my opinion, just one relatively mild injustice compared to what else he apparently condoned. As far as I know he executed 152 people while he was Governor. I gather he spent no more than about 15 minutes reviewing any of these cases, simply following whatever recommendations he was given. There is no doubt that some of these cases were complex, could easily have required much more serious reviews, but did not receive them. Also, as near as I can tell, he only once commuted a death sentence to life in prison, and only then because the case became so public he could not do otherwise. It is also known that he once mocked a woman given a death sentence who begged him for a pardon. There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that Bush may well have executed many innocent people without even a second thought, just as he killed hundreds of thousands in Iraq apparently without a second thought. He now boasts openly of his war crimes and goes completely free of investigation or accountability.

I have never forgiven Obama and Holder for not investigating Bush/Cheney and their obvious war crimes. I have also not forgiven Obama for his absurd and unnecessary “war” in Afghanistan. I am also not pleased with his wishy-washy behavior vis-à-vis Israel and Netanyahu. Even so, I keep thinking of what any alternative might be, and I cannot think of any that would be better. However, if he now “caves” on continuing tax cuts for the obscenely wealthy, as some are suggesting he might, that will be the final straw for me, the end point of any further excuses or political maneuvering. To continue the Bush tax cuts for the top 2% is an absurdity so gross, so unnecessary, so stupid, so ridiculous, so unjustified, so cowardly and hypocritical, I would not be able to accept it for any reason whatsoever. Not that I have much support to offer anyone anyway, after the eight years of Bush/Cheney and their destruction of our economy (and everyone’s life savings, homes, jobs, and even unemployment benefits). So let’s all cheer the new Republican leadership in the House and hope they can return us to the glory years of Bush/Cheney. We clearly deserve it.