The Weekly Standard has revealed what I’ve suspected for years. Unethical, amoral, and probably criminal behavior is the hallmark of conservative governing. Jeffrey Bell and William Kristol unite to search low but not high for an explanation to the unfortunate fact that the entire Republican leadership seems to be under investigation. Bell and Kristol might find the answer to their probing question if they were to look within; of course, conservatives are incapable of introspection, reflection, or any other form of self-critical analysis.
Still I must query the authors: if conservatives control the executive and legislative branches of government (not to mention that a majority of the Supreme Court has been appointed by Republican presidents), how could a conspiracy of criminalization exist – let alone thrive – in the first place? Democrats, both liberal and moderate, are on the outside looking in and the so-called “moderate Republican” is such a rare species that it couldn’t possibly exert a significant influence. No, it seems to me that other forces must be at work.
I suggest two alternatives. First, conservatives are cannibals. This seems far-fetched and, as Bell and Kristol note, so many conservative leaders are under investigation for so many transgressions that the cannibalistic explanation seems incomplete as well. For this explanation to hold, conservatives would have to be cannibals on the order of gerbils and I for one have a hard time believing – given their limited appetite for thought – that they could devour much above the order of a lost expedition. My point is that they wouldn’t choose to eat their own. Rather they would only attempt to stomach themselves if driven to it by some force majeure.
The second alternative is that DeLay, Libby, Rove, Frist, and Co. may be miscreants whose bad acts have run afoul of the system of laws that we as a nation cherish. Admittedly this is a less sexy explanation but it’s where I’ll put my money. Under this premise there is no vast any-wing conspiracy presently at work – only wrongdoers and conscientious enforcers of the law. In short, the dilemma for Bell and Kristol is not that there is a conspiracy that is out to criminalize conservative governance; rather, it’s that there isn’t one in place to shield them from their criminal acts. I guess that will give them something to work for in 2006.
-This post was written by Brookland Clipmonkey.
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2 comments:
In reality, there is far more criminality than that which is in the news these days. Republicans in Congress have blocked numerous investigations which would yield an even greater web of corruption- Halliburton's mishandling of funds, the threats against a Medicare actuary, the manipulation of intel on Iraq, and so many more. The Republicans are beginning to reap what they sowed.
I just read the Kristol/Bell piece. This is the most idiotic thing to come out of the Weekly Standard since its inception. It's an almost child-like view of a bunch of meanies who seek to beat up the Republicans. What's most bizarre is the fact that it totally ignores the endless partisan investigations of the Clinton years. Other than Ronnie Earle, none of these investigations are being carried out by Democrats with any prosecutorial power. And if the folks at the Weekly Standard don't believe that Tom DeLay is damn-near a criminal, they are completely disconnected from reality. I used to have respect for Bill Kristol, but he has revealed himself as merely a partisan hitman here.
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