Being Up-To-Date

Who says that politicians aren’t aware of what’s going on in the world? Yesterday, more than thirty-two months after the war against Iraq began, Democratic senators decided it was time to inquire into what critics of the war have known since it began: the Bush administration’s misuse of intelligence to rationalize it. Now former president Carter has boldly come forth with the assertion that government claims about Hussein’s supposed weapons of mass destruction had been “manipulated, at least” in order to mislead Americans. Carter added that Republicans had been delaying any congressional inquiry into this question.

And where have the Democrats been – Carter included – since March of 2003? Will there be any examination of the voting records of Democratic senators and congressmen on matters relating to this war? Have they been any less round-heeled than their GOP counterparts? Have they reasoned that opposition to this war has become so strong that George Bush has little remaining credibility and, therefore, this is an opportune time for the Democrats to go on the attack? Are they once again showing leadership by opinion polls? Is this the measure of their integrity: to wait until the bully is on crutches to take a principled stand?

The interesting thing about a one-party system disguising itself as two is that it provides the roboticized public with the illusion that fundamental change can come from within.

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11:28 am on November 2, 2005