Billmon

Billmon: "it's still hard to escape the conclusion that the American people have had, generally speaking, plenty of opportunities to learn the filthy truth about this administration and this war -- that is, if they were actually interested in the truth, which many of them (up to 51%, judging from the last election) apparently are not.



What the health of the Republic requires, in other words, may not be a new crop of leakers and whistleblowers, or a fresh young generation of Woodwards and Bernsteins -- or even a more independent, aggressive media. What it may need is a new population (or half of a population, anyway), one that hasn't been stupified or brainwashed into blind submission, that won't look upon sadistic corruption and call it patriotism, and that will refuse to trade the Bill of Rights for a plastic Jesus and a wholly false sense of security.



That's a much taller order than asking the Gods to send us another Deep Throat -- or even a Luke Skywalker. It's also not an easy thing for liberals, with their old-fashioned faith in democracy, to face: That the Evil Emperor might have a majority (a narrow one, but still a majority) on his side. But a truth isn't any less true for being politically unpalatable.



Which is why right now it's easy for me to imagine Richard Nixon, looking up from the inner circle of hell and lamenting his bad luck in being elected to the presidency just 30 years too soon."



Bush II has produced more scandal than all of the Administrations of the 20th century put together, and a majority of the American People, fat (very fat), dumb and Happy? refuse to be shocked or outraged.



That's why the perverse hope for a perfect storm is about the only slender thread, on which a true patriot can hang her hopes for her country's redemption.