I struggle against wishful thinking, but it is hard, hard. There are so many wonderful signs that this evil administration is on the edge of deconstruction (you see how one has learned to fling the word "evil" about) that hope and happiness leap up, despite all one can do to keep them down. Oh, merciful Lord, may it be that D.C. shall be cleansed as Hercules once cleansed those stables.
One wants the utter rout of these wretched human beings who send young citizens off to mad wars telling them they are to "end evil in the world." The assumption has to be that these young people are stone ignorant of even the most rudimentary classical and Christian psychology, which has always recognized that there are two in each of us, one good, bright, honest, true; the other, "the deceitful man," wicked, selfish, crafty, lying. The line between the two, as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote, goes right down the middle of each human heart. And we have each to decide, over and over again, for the right thing, if, with God's help, we can.
I find myself in a mood to take stock as we wait to see the denouement of the various investigations, commissions, inquiries, and continuing new revelations. Will it be a release from this ghastly thralldom the nation has entered – a war state, a police state, a detested rogue state – or will it be a vindication for these architects of ruin?
So, to take stock. Or should I rather say stick with me as I make conjectures? This is not history I am writing, it is simple speculation; but in the absence of any truth-telling in high places, what can one do but speculate?
Our oil boys, coming to power, found already in place in various D.C. think tanks some very verbal types (somewhat unkindly but justly known as armchair warriors or laptop bombardiers) who had a whole rationale for taking over Iraq that never mentioned oil. They even had a whole list of states lined up as targets behind Iraq, such that when we emerged from battle, which was sure to be a piece of cake, we would be sitting in firm control of the world's oil, of course permanently denominated in dollars. Israel would benefit, but that was perhaps incidental; from the oil point of view an excellent smokescreen and, mirabile dictu, it came complete with a whole crowd of Christians-of-a-sort to keep up the clamor for "saving Israel." A veritable smoke-making machine on the stern of the Ship of State.
With the oil, and a superb military to defend it against all, who could challenge us? Let the Arabs make their damn rugs or whatever, for heaven's sake. Let China manufacture its little heart out; Let Germans and Japanese do their busy, ingenious, high-tech manufacturing thing as such ants always like to do. Who will they sell their wonderful gadgetry to but us? And for what? Why oil, of course, the one thing needful to keep this whole show rolling smoothly along. Who rules oil rules the world. And it's a crying shame the present crowd of towelheads are as much in the driver's seat as they are, not that they know where the hell to go. Time for a change. Allons, enfants, to Baghdad, Damascus, Riyadh, Cairo, and glory!
For a good while things were humming along like a well-oiled sewing machine, things fitting together neatly with hardly a visible seam. Military up and obeying, grand! Media in line, flags waving, stirring music ad lib. Better yet! Congress cowed (so what else is new). Peaceniks and other complainers effectively sealed off, talking to themselves on their damned Internet. But OUR television, OUR sturdy TV, standing steady to the helm, pouring out the Things One Should Think and the Attitudes One Should Have, so that no one should be at a loss for what to think or say – in and amidst a riot of entertainments sufficient to keep a Roman emperor (one of the poorer ones) amused till morning.
Some people have supposed our chief rulers were themselves taken in by the drums pounding for Israel, but I think not. People whose overmastering vice is greed are not apt to fall for appeals to bail out this nation or that for auld lang syne. Not their kind of thing. But explain how "interests dovetail," and now we have a deal.
It was all so neat. And now is seems to have gone wrong. Who can say what it was that started the unraveling? But it does indeed seem to be unraveling. Perhaps we'll (they'll) find someone to pull a rabbit out of a hat. What this country needs is a few good magicians and a good five-cent cigar.
February 18, 2004
