That's the sort of statement you'd expect from Don Corleone, but when we hear words to that effect are we inclined to think of someone better qualified in terms of his impeccable background and diplomatic skills than anyone else to represent the United States in the important European Union Capitol? What we heard during Tuesday's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing was the voice of a partisan without conscience, without any sense of morals or ethics or decency or shame; a Republican, a supporter of George W. Bush.
We no longer live in the day of Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, but John Kerry
whose campaign for President was set back by the sleazy lies of Bush supporters at least got to confront Sam Fox, a major financier of the "527" behind the Swift Boat Veterans hoax. Fox weaseled, saying he wasn't aware, that he hates the 527's and couldn't remember who asked him to contribute. "I did it because politically, it's necessary if the other side is doing it," said he, somehow equating lies with truth; equating the failures, misstatements, lies and deceptions of Bush with wholly invented slander and libel against Kerry. All's fair if you get to define fairness.Of course Fox didn't do much more than hand a $50,000 check to the Swift Boat liars and some find his culpability to be less than 100% but that's a little like saying Al Capone never killed anyone. It's hard to explain why Fox waited until now to contradict the slander he paid for; hard in light of the fact that the campaign still functions and the Swift Boat website still exists.
Barak Obama, the Senator from Illinois, proved capable of trenchant understatement by calling Fox's explanations "Unsatisfying," and indeed it is. Unfortunately we all can demand satisfaction, but we can't expect justice. Under Bush's Reich, we can usually expect criminals, incompetents and their collaborators to be rewarded in proportion to how much they advance the power of Bush and so Fox receives, amongst other rewards a nomination to be an ambassador and not a jail sentence.
We can't expect much outrage either; not while Britney is in and out of rehab and Anna Nicole continues to decompose -- and most of all while the products of Bush's criminal regime make the outrageous seem trifling. Bush can continue to hand out power and prestige and honor to his henchmen like any other Caesar and there seems no way and no will to stop him.
Washington Post blogger, Mary Ann Akers has a more detailed description of the proceedings, for those with strong stomachs.
2 comments:
And the scariest, saddest part, really, is that Fox truly didn't feel any remorse for what he did. He has the moral compass of an embryo. Kerry actually asked him, as you might a five year old, if "two wrongs make a right?"
Living in interesting times doesn't always mean it's a good thing, does it?
Nope - it's just the business of winning. It doesn't matter what you do or say. Morals and values are for losers.
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