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Sunday, October 30, 2005
Part Of My Point
WaPo:
A majority of Americans say the indictment of senior White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby signals broader ethical problems in the Bush administration, and nearly half say the overall level of honesty and ethics in the federal government has fallen since President Bush took office, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News survey.
The poll, conducted Friday night and yesterday, found that 55 percent of the public believes the Libby case indicates wider problems "with ethical wrongdoing" in the White House, while 41 percent believes it was an "isolated incident." And by a 3 to 1 ratio, 46 percent to 15 percent, Americans say the level of honesty and ethics in the government has declined rather than risen under Bush.
People are beginning to understand that not only did Libby do something bad, but it points to a disturbing pattern. Enough stuff has come out in recent weeks and months that any attempt to stonewall or refusal to admit wrongdoing is going to be seen through this lens: we trusted you and you betrayed us on these matters, so what's to say you're not hiding something else now?
When you think about it, politics is really a form of moral conflict in the sense that Boyd described, and even has an OODA loop. The problem for Bush is that his decision cycle has come to a complete stop, which is the worst thing you can do in this environment.
Whether it be his inability to appreciate resistance to his plan to gut Social Security, his inattentiveness to the news during Katrina, or his continuing to give "major speeches" on Iraq as though they'll shore up support for his war, it amounts to the same. His lack of observation necessarily means he can't orient himself as new information arrives, thus he can't make decisions, let alone act upon them. He's dead in the water.
To carry Boyd's concepts further, Bush has found himself in a political war that is outside his experience. With Karl Rove at the helm, Bush has been able to function well in what amounts to manuever warfare, but as we've seen in Iraq, that doesn't work when you're caught in a 4GW/moral conflict where the outgunned enemy uses asymmetrical tactics. In fact, you tend to be your own worst enemy in such a mismatched fight.
Our troops exacerbate the insurgency in Iraq; Bush and his party's corruption and hubris have led to real policy failures, felony indictments and a complete loss of confidence on the part of voters. Meanwhile, the Dems can very simply point to objective facts, paint a vivid picture of the GOP Culture of Corruption, and let events unfold naturally until the time is right to strike. They are inside Bush's OODA loop.
And that's why I get sick of hearing people say the Democrats must support Cindy Sheehan, or file Articles of Impeachment, or whatever the "should du jour" is. They have observed that Bush is sinking himself, they've oriented themselve to the new political climate, have decided to not focus on one bad action but rather create a cohesive message about the Republican's myriad ethical afflictions, and really avoid getting caught in the trap of tainting real independent efforts with "partisanship".
As soon as they get involved in any of these successful efforts, they're back in the kind of set-piece battle that the GOP thrives on. That's how insurgencies lose. However, as the French learned at Dien Bien Phu, if an asymmetrical opponent lets you squander your natural advantages and then strikes in a more convenional manner, you lose.
So long as the Dems keep constant pressure on the issues and pay attention to events as they unfold, they get to decide when to strike while Bush and his cronies are on the defensive, in reaction mode. If Dean, Reid and Pelosi stupidly overreach on something like impeachment, they have to keep that going to the end, and it just ain't gonna happen until they retake Congress in 2006. Since they can't continue on that front, they will squander their resources and eventually come to a stop. That will only let Bush and the GOP get back into the fight.
God knows we don't want that.
ntodd
October 30, 2005 | Permalink
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Comments
Well stated! I can not argue any of your points. I may make a lot of noise about impeachment, but that is because I want to continue to keep the pressure up. This is just one way. But that does not mean I am upset because the Dems have not taken up the drum beat. I want them to be leaders. You have made a case of just that.
Are you feeling ok?
Posted by: Rook | Oct 30, 2005 12:25:21 PM
i also get sick of people who say "the pendelum will swing back. it always does." as if we're supposed to sit on our haunches waiting for some metaphysical pendulum to swing. yes, let's wait for gravity to affect it's pull. no biggie, we got 20 years to kill.
no, the reason the pendulum swung so far to the right as it has is because there has been a lack of commitment to push back. it's a failure traceable back to the clinton era.
there was lack of opposition when bush's numbers were high. "we can't attack bush now. we'll look unpatriotic". there is lack of opposition now. "we shouldn't interject ourselves now when bush is shooting himself in the foot."
oooO, isn't that clever of the dems for being consistent in their tactics. yes, let's all applaud inertia.
Posted by: jello | Oct 30, 2005 1:02:31 PM
You simply keep "corruption, cronyism , and incompetence" on the airwaves and web sites, and don't give them an obvious target.
The Republicans have all the power in their hands, and not only can they not "keep the trains running on time", they have them on the wrong tracks when they are not broken down.
The White House has time to complain about alleged misuse of the Presidential seal on satiric web sites, but can't find a leaker among the staff.
Posted by: Bryan | Oct 30, 2005 1:05:39 PM
jello - know what I hate more than people calling for impeachment? It's people who don't try to get the fucking point of a post. Your GOP-like binary worldview is clouding your judgement.
Just as with Iraq, where the issue was falsely framed as war v. "appeasement", this conflict doesn't have to be posited as impeachment v. doing nothing. That's part of how you win any struggle: you pay attention to the tactical and strategic situation, and don't "just do something" for the sake of doing something. Maybe you'd feel good if Conyers filed Articles, but long-term that will go nowhere and get us nowhere--in fact, it would likely be a step back.
Consider the message that Dems have been able to consistently get out there of late: the GOP is corrupt. Some of it is in the form of "shrill" statements from Dean, but look at what Reid did: quietly asked for an apology. More great rope-a-dope stuff from the Minority Leader, just like Miers.
What can Bush do now? He tried to ignore this whole thing, made a quick statement about how great Libby is, and Reid calls him on it. It makes headlines and puts Bush on the defensive. Asking for an apology isn't so unreasonable, is it? If Bush refuses, it feeds the (correct) perception that he's stonewalling, got something to hide, can never admit mistakes. If he does apologize, it's doing what Reid wanted, and admitting a mistake, and still keeps the story alive (and had he done this way in the beginning, would've actually helped his cause)--he's reacting to something the Dems are doing rather than executing his own agenda.
That's the point about OODA loops and moral conflicts. You need to pay attention and act appropriately. Going for impeachment right now is as stupid as trying to invade Iran with no troops.
Posted by: NTodd | Oct 30, 2005 1:30:01 PM
Going for impeachment plays right into the Republicans' hands. They can then say that all the Democrats want to do is get payback for Clinton's impeachment. Granted, it would feel good for the moment, but it will accomplish nothing. It would also tell them that we have no agenda other than to be the people who "hate" Bush and ignore any possibile solutions to the problems we have.
And on a practical level, impeachment is a non-starter. The House is run by the Republicans. They wouldn't impeach one of their own regardless of what he did. Meanwhile, we have a country to run, and too many things that need to be taken care of regardless of politics; schools, the poor, the environment, you name it. We can't just stop and wait for this to play out.
As long as the Democrats and the progressives can keep the pressure on and offer reasonable alternatives, the Republican balloon will deflate of its own volition. We had just better be ready to take over when it does.
Posted by: Mustang Bobby | Oct 30, 2005 3:18:39 PM
by all means, bobby, allow the republicans to frame the debate. instead of doing the right thing, let's be stuck in reactive mode, formulating our stances as defensively as possible in order to minimize any republican attacks. we have to support anti-flag burning ammendments lest we be called unpatriotic. we have to cede the separation of church and state argument lest we be called ungodly. might as well throw in the towel and give up every principle we have left. wouldn't want to be called names.
Posted by: jello | Oct 30, 2005 4:46:04 PM
jello, you are assuming facts not in evidence in what I wrote in my comment or what I've written in the past, but based on what you've said in your previous comments that seems to be part of your pattern, so knock yourself out.
If you would bother to take a look around at the local level instead of fixating on Washington, D.C. you would notice that the Democrats have been making gains below the radar; in cities and towns, counties and states, and they have been putting forth progressive and positive ideas that aren't just kneejerk reactions to the Republicans. In last year's election, the Democrats actually gained seats in state legislatures and on county commissions. It won't happen overnight, but the Democrats and progressives are coming back, and they're not ceding anything to anyone one the issues that matter.
The trouble with some people, however, is that instant gratification takes too long.
Posted by: Mustang Bobby | Oct 30, 2005 5:49:59 PM
Hey, I have an Impeach Bush ribbon on my website and even I don't want impeachment started now. It would distract from what first needs to happen, the education of more Americans to the truth.
People hear about this push for impeachment, and they start perking up as to what facts are out there making people call for impeachment. Next thing you know, they are educated in the corrupt nature of the Bush Administration.
The people can and should speak to what they want, as you obviously are doing in some small way jello. But sheesh, don't go bitching at NTodd and Mustang Bobby because they have other thoughts.
Are you sure you are not really a wingnut in disquise?
Posted by: Rook | Oct 30, 2005 6:14:46 PM
Exactly what constitutes "doing the right thing," jello? I don't think I would be inclined to argue that drawing up articles of impeachment that will go absolutely nowhere (remember who runs Congress?) falls under that heading--especially not when there are tons of more productive things our Democratic representatives in Washington could and should be doing, things that have the potential to get the Repukes out of power a lot faster than impeaching Bush would do. In fact, if they play their cards right, they could just manage to get a Democratic Congress in 2007, which would put impeachment back on the table, perhaps just in time for the facts to come out that would make it an ironclad case.
We don't want the Democrats to be the party that has only a hammer in its tool belt--because then every problem is going to start looking like a nail. We also want to have pliers and crescent wrenches and screwdrivers and the like, so we can use the tool that is best suited to the job at hand. It would be nice if we had leaders (and supporters) who could tell the difference between a hammer and a pair of Vise-Grips.
Posted by: Michael | Oct 30, 2005 8:27:35 PM
mustang bobby, instant gratification? oh, i wish this were only a momentary pique. i've held my tongue. i've been patient. i've been supportive of the national party. it wasn't till 2002 after watching power dems more interested in appeasing the pundit class than fighting for our rights that i started to become disillusioned. first we were were betrayed by the election of 2000 in dems failure to fight for disenfranchised black votes, then we were betrayed by dems voting for the war. and digging further back in history, one discovers clinton selling us out in favor of corporate interests. enough is enough. people who lack outrage haven't been paying attention.
Posted by: jello | Oct 31, 2005 12:11:46 PM
michael, one doesn't need to win a conviction in order to benefit from filing for impeachment. clinton was found not guilty with regards to whitewater. nevertheless, republicans were sucessful in tainting clinton as corrupt. the difference between us and them though is that we have the truth on our side. plus, it can take years for impeachment to gain traction. better to start now to gain momentum. plus republican opposition in refusal to investigate bush can be used against them as being emblematic of their willingness to cover up republican corruption.
the purpose of filing for impeachment is not so much to gain conviction but to raise the debate. to draw the line in the sand and letting the public know that bush is worthy of being impeached. it's another way of declaring what bush has committed is intolerable, violated the constitution and should be held accountable for his actions.
Posted by: jello | Oct 31, 2005 12:26:02 PM
But sheesh, don't go bitching at NTodd and Mustang Bobby because they have other thoughts.
it's called a debate, rook. i wasn't the one who fired the first shot.
Posted by: jello | Oct 31, 2005 12:50:30 PM
Buy me stuff off my 
