The Decembrist: Accountabilty Moment

The Decembrist: Accountabilty Moment

Mark Schmitt wrote this great article, which I find this 1:06 AM contemplating the impact of the W years. We simply can't afford to allow him to remain president as far as I'm concerned. Not requiring some sort of public accounting for their many and various sins would really be shameful, and spell horrible things for the direction of politics in general. Mark says,

It seems to me that part of their genius is they've gotten rid of much of the "you just can't do that" mentality of politics, and stripped everything down to the bare essence of what they can get away with.

Which is, apparently, a lot. But it really sets a bad example for the kids, don't you think?

Bush's presidency will be remembered mostly as a fraud (except by silly people who will only remember how goofy and likeable he seemed on TV) but the damage is already done. Kids growing up today have long ago said "fuck it" about social issues, or the environment or corporate governance, and are as selfish and greedy as their parents, perhaps moreso. The Bush presidency is rubber stamping these values as this new generation gets down in the muck with the rest.

This idea that anything goes as long as you really believe in what you're doing is a disaster, for a person, and a country. Bush could have done just about anything he wanted after 9/11, and he pushed an unpopular war, and pushed unpopular domestic legislation. He did it because he could.

If there really was a "you just can't do that" mentality in politics, it's long gone now. And that doesn't seem to be something that comes back as quickly as it was destroyed.