...I'm okay with being REALITY-based.




Monday, October 27, 2003
      ( 1:32 PM )
 
Let's Review

I have never claimed to be a huge fan of Clinton or his presidency on the policy front - most of the policies he passed were not anywhere near as progressive as I would have hoped - so this post is not a Clinton apologist piece; rather it is my own attempt to put into perspective the current administration's "scandals."

Investigations into Clinton's Presidency:

Travelgate: the firings of White House Travel Office personnel - came to nothing(lives lost: 0)

FBI Filegate: FBI files in the White House - came to nothing (lives lost: 0)

Whitewater: really dumb real estate deal - came to nothing except for a couple of people not associated with the Clintons (lives lost: 0)

Suicide of Vincent Foster: came to nothing in terms of any Clinton involvement (lives lost: 1, but not due to Clinton culpability)

Paula Jones: charges found groundless (lives lost: 0)

Impeachment: lying under oath about extramarital affair, ended with impeachment but not dismissal from office (lives lost: 0)

Investigations into Bush II's Presidency:

9/11 Investigation: so far hitting a brick wall in trying to get documents from the Bush White House (lives lost: +3000)

Valarie Plame Leak: White House compromised identity of undercover CIA officer in revenge ploy (lives lost: 0, intelligence assets compromised: unknown)

False Intelligence Used as Excuse for War: demanded investigation held up by House Republicans (lives lost: +400 coalition forces, unknown thousands of civilians)

There's just a little difference in the types of investigations that have been necessary for this current administration as compared to the ones concocted against the last one. It's time people wake up and realize that Bush II and his administration are costing us more than tax dollars, they are costing us lives across several generations and they are making us pay for their deliberate lies. This isn't about mistakes. This is about knowing how to govern wisely. So far, there hasn't been a shred of evidence that sort of knowledge exists in this administration.

And if the press doesn't start paying as much attention to the investigations of these incidents as they did to the ridiculous investigations into Clinton, then I fail to see how, in any realm of reality, they will be able to look themselves in a mirror and call themselves "journalists."

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