As United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan retires from office, he criticizes the American government for its excesses "in the struggle against terrorism," adding that it has appeared "to abandon its own ideals and objectives." Sandra Day O'Connor - having retired from the Supreme Court, and been made a member of the Iraq Study Group - admonished the press to help "move forward and make some progress toward" the Group's "statement of goals." The process, she added, is an ongoing one: "It really is out of our hands, having done what we did. It's up to you, frankly." That O'Connor's vote provided the difference that allowed the Supreme Court, in 2000, to stop the counting of ballots in Florida and award the presidency to George W. Bush, went without mention in her assessment of responsibility for the mess Bush thereafter created. Finally, outgoing Georgia Representative Cynthia McKinney - in her last act as a member of Congress - introduced a bill calling for the impeachment of George Bush.
In each instance, we see people who have enjoyed the exercise of political power waiting until after their terms were up to take even a mild principled stand against political wrongdoing. So much for the tattered mantle of "statemanship" with which most politicos like to adorn themselves. Where were their voices when the outcomes of actions now being endured by millions were being undertaken? For every Ron Paul and Russ Feingold who manage to retain their integrity while in office, there are far too many who await retirement to try to clean up their images in some ex post facto manner. It reminds me of the lame effort of Robert McNamara, as well as a few retired journalists, who await the safety of the sidelines to raise their voices when they should have been heard when the deadly games were still being played.
