The Political Chase

How many of us thought, better still vociferated, in 2000 and again in 2004, “How can people be so blind and stupid?”

[T]he White House is grappling with a criminal investigation into whether anyone leaked the name of a C.I.A. operative, an inquiry that has brought both Karl Rove, Mr. Bush’s top political adviser, and I. Lewis Libby, chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, before a grand jury.

And the administration is struggling to steady itself after the slow response to Hurricane Katrina and defend itself against sweeping accusations of incompetence and cronyism in domestic security.

Joe Gaylord, a longtime Republican consultant and an adviser to Newt Gingrich when he was House speaker, said, “When you couple Iraq, Katrina, DeLay in the House, Frist in the Senate,” and other ethical flaps, “it looks like 10 years is a long time for a party to be in power.”

“And when you add to that gas prices and home-heating prices that are going through the ceiling this winter, it shouldn’t give much comfort to the Republicans,” Mr. Gaylord said.

A friend from Sydney, after reading the above, emails me with, “You bloody yanks really aren’t a bunch of wankers are you?” There is a point to my quoting his email; it’s not just levity. Internationally, we are not recognized as Democrats or Republicans; we’re seen wholly as Americans and what resides in Washington is reflective of the rest of the country.

I guess they’re pretty much right and justified in their jibes. “We” put these goof balls in office, the environment surrounding each elected person was blatantly obvious at election time, so what else can we expect? You get what you pay for.