DENNIS CLAYSON | Posted: Sunday, September 23, 2007 12:00 am
Are there any adults left in America, especially in Congress and the two political parties?
Week after week, we see evidence that Washington has been taken over by children. The bizarre circus created around the testimony several weeks ago of General David Petraeus was just one of many examples.
An American general, whom Congress unanimously approved, came back to Washington from a war zone to make a report demanded by Congress itself.
An entire American political party pronounced that he wouldn't be truthful. This statement, spoken as an absolute, was made before they heard him speak.
During his testimony, politician after politician came to the microphone to make lengthy statements and to call the General a liar. When he was allowed to actually say something, he was immediately corrected by the politicians who evidently know more about Iraq and warfare than the general they had approved to lead the war effort.
The arrogance and stupidity on display in the Congressional hearings was an ample demonstration of why Congress has one of the lowest approval ratings in history. If we lived in a parliamentary system, this government would be thrown out. In most of the world and for most of human history, this action would have caused the military to march back to the capital and kick these despicable, self-serving blowhards into a gulag someplace.
Both parties are to blame.
The Democrats have adopted a mindless political strategy to gain power.
It can be summed up as: whatever Bush does, we oppose it; whoever supports Bush is a liar; anything the Executive Branch does, we will undermine it.
If Bush said we would not bring back the troops until the war is "won," the Dems would call for a gradual drawdown. If Bush called for a gradual drawdown, the Dems would call for an immediate drawdown. If Bush called for an immediate drawdown, the Dems would accuse him of being irresponsible and creating a future bloodbath in Iraq.
What happens to be good for the people of Iraq or for America is considered only in the third-order logic that "if we were in power, things would be better," hence we are not really being irresponsible children playing with the lives of thousands of American soldiers and perhaps millions of people in the Middle East.
Baloney, they are irresponsible children. Unfortunately, there are no parents around to clean up the mess afterward.
If you actually think that the Democratic strategy is any more sophisticated than this, then you are living in a fool's paradise of propaganda-induced illusions.
Surely then, the Republicans will save us from all this. Yes, and Santa Claus will come down the chimney and give us all "free" health care.
Republicans aren't called the "stupid party" for nothing. They are standing around wringing their hands, hoping that if they maintain a low enough profile, the hurricane will blow over the top of them. They believe that they can then pop up, and maybe begin to act like real adults.
We shouldn't count on it.
In actuality, the Republicans have no strategy at all. The Bush White House does what it always does; operating underground and out of sight, while the Republicans not up for re-election remain dead-cold silent.
The presidential hopefuls simply show up, hoping they can convince enough voters that they are actually adults. They tell each group what they think that group wants to hear, and throw in a few conservative sound bites to keep the base happy.
If you know what these candidates actually believe in their hearts, then you are the genius that should be the next president. What they say to Sean Hannity is not what they tell the New York Times.
Which is just as well because neither the Times nor Hannity will give them the time of day unless they parrot back to them what both have already said.
In a society without adults, there is no news, only editorials shouted loud enough to drown out any dissenting voices.
Meanwhile, the world turns on its axis and with every revolution another concern and threat looms over the horizon.
When an adult comes home from over that horizon, we plug our ears and shout, "Liar, liar." Maybe if an adult could be found -in Washington, he or she will turn the lights back on.