6 Responses to “Touching Down”

1. TomB, on January 8th, 2009 at 4:48 am Said:

   I don’t know that all this really represents a political bottom historically speaking, and indeed suspect that it doesn’t. But even accepting the point that it merits some substantial snickering the question is who is responsible for it? The present doesn’t spring into existence out of nothing, unabetted by the past. So what—or who—is responsible for creating the conditions whereby a Caroline Kennedy or an Al Franken seem like reasonable, acceptable leaders?

   Seems to me it is indeed primarily those two singular men, Bush and Cheney, singular in that it would seem they are the only two humans left on the planet who deny that the last eight years haven’t been a calamity both domestically and internationally.

   Think about what the situation was and could have been. Ronald Reagan almost single-handledly made liberals run from that label, and if Bush I tarnished that especially by reneging on his no new taxes pledge, Clinton then came along seemingly to just reinforce the idea that liberals and Democrats were just not mature or responsible enough to trust.

   And Bush II came into office with Reagan’s legacy of a world without a Soviet threat and a China that had seemingly learned the benefits of peace and money-making too, and a budget surplus to boot. So both economically and militarily the U.S. bestrode the world, not to mention even more importantly being looked upon with vast credibility and respect. And thus guided with even a modicum of sobriety and maturity and modesty and care, especially given the world’s essential acceptance of capitalism and thus growing realization of wealth, (something truly truly new in all of history), the U.S. could likely have gently guided the world onto an unparalleled path of peace and prosperity.

   And now instead … this.

   It wasn’t enough that the U.S. was rich beyond Croesus, with zero inflation and unemployment effectively and thus well able to make sure to well regulate wild financial Wall Street games involving titanic sums whose collapse could obviously threaten the entire national economy. No, despite the lesson of the Depression that a “let it rip” ideology does have its risks and thus should have its limits Mr. Bush and his party seemed to have positively basked in it.

   And it wasn’t enough either after a handful of fanatics in some caves in Afghanistan got in a lucky whack at us (even then somewhat abetted by Bush’s disdain for our anti-terrorism program as noted by Richard Clarke) and our intelligence agencies essentially swatted both them and the Taliban down in a matter of weeks. No, ideology told Mr. Bush’s Rumsfeld that a ponderous, old-style, slower-than-molasses military response was necessary thereby letting both escape into Pakistan. (Hardly a surprising course of retreat.)

   And then of course the piece de resistance: Not just some silly little nation-building attempt; no. What we needed to do was to rebuild the entire vast Middle East with its teeming hundreds of millions. Indeed, we needed to rebuild Islam itself as Bush himself bone-headedly but predictably admitted via calling it a “crusade.” And now, not unexpectedly, is there even one moslem on earth who doesn’t absolutely loath us? And whatever else you say about him you can hardly accuse Bush of not being *comprehensively* destructive: To destabilize even *Pakistan,* which before at least seemed not much of a potential player in any possible boil-up of the Middle East cauldron but which of course has nuclear missiles, now that’s entertainment.

   And nor even was that enough either: We also needed to rebuild our own country too, ever more into the model of an ever-watching Big Brother. Billions if not trillions for domestic internet spying and phone-tapping and warrantless searches and the ability to imprison without trial upon Presidential “certification” and moronic methods of searching of plane passengers (but not huge cargo ships coming to dock) and endless pork barrels of money to places like Ottumwa, Iowa so they can buy Humvees and flak-vests and M-16’s and night-vision scopes and wire-tapping technology and God-knows-what-else so they can prepare for bin Laden’s attacks. And of course we also needed to establish the legacy of an existing and never-to-be-even-diminished-much-less-terminated legal and bureaucratic system for continued monitoring and policing of our citizenry.

   So tell me now why a Caroline Kennedy or an Al Franken don’t seem so lightweight or crazy anymore? At least their lightness of weight and/or craziness seems to have their limits.

2. Doug, on January 8th, 2009 at 5:49 am Said:

   You assume he isn’t standing aside for the Phillies’ mascot.

3. Jason, on January 8th, 2009 at 6:27 am Said:

   I hope you’re right, I think you are correct, but I don’t see a lot of clear evidence that we’ve hit bottom yet. When we really hit bottom, America will wake up. Has that happened yet?
   http://www.rightklik.net/

4. Dennis Dale, on January 8th, 2009 at 9:04 am Said:

   Hey, I was just kidding. If you can’t goof on Chris Matthews, what the heck are they paying him 5mil a year for? (5 million? Excuse me, I have to go start up the car and seal the garage).

   But the Phanatic does have a certain equine look. And Harriet Myers’ assault on the supreme court remains, a singular achievement of audacity.

5. Beau Martin, on January 8th, 2009 at 2:52 pm Said:

   Hey Dennis, you should have waited! Joe the Plumber is being sent to Israel as a war correspondent for some “conservative” website I didn’t get the name of. I’m sure Fox is waiting to sign him up once he gets some “bomb cred.”

6. Jack Tracey, on January 8th, 2009 at 3:31 pm Said:

   Election ‘08 was American Idol ‘08. Choosing your favorite celebrity instead of hiring a solid chief executive started before Bush 2.

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