If you happen to be a W. Bush supporter who's skimming through the Huffington Post to see who the liberal traitors and agitators are, I have some questions for you. And these are honest, "I really am looking for an answer" questions, not rhetorical snarky questions.
I'm really looking to figure out this divide in our country between the so-called true patriots and the shiftless liberals. So help me out and then when you see me on the road with my "Wal-Mart: Low Wages, Low Morals...Always" bumper sticker, feel free to flip me off.
Now I already fully admit that I'm a liberal idiot and cynical godless appeasement junkie, so there's no need to call me that. Oh, and also, I'm a Hollywood smart-ass and a Prius driving hippy. I won't get into the fact that I was raised in a lower class background and I hadn't been to Hollywood until five years ago. Plus, even though I believe in a strong military and supported our attack of Afghanistan and Serbia, you can call me a weak-kneed pussy. It's really okay. I get it. So here are my questions...
Who do we go to for honest critical reporting of this administration, or for that matter, any of our leaders? If the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, the Nation, this blog and anyone who criticizes the President, Corporate America or Tom Delay are all liberal rags, then who is the voice that's okay to listen to? This is an honest question. Help me out here.
And when people like Richard Clarke, Paul O'Neil and even Senator McCain are dismissed as bitter or self-motivated, then who is cleared for an honest assessment? College professors, artists, labor leaders, scientists or Hollywood types? Not unless they endorse the right, like Bruce Willis or the Terminator. Those are good Hollywood types.
Now surely we can agree on this: every administration does some things wrong. Clinton passed NAFTA and got a blowjob. Reagan traded arms for hostages with Iran. And Nixon had a grand old time. So we know no administration is perfect. And we also know that it's important to be aware of these mistakes, abuses of power or incidents of influence-peddling. So who do we go to? Is it Fox News? ...Really?... Honestly?... Rupert Murdoch is the watchman of American Democracy? Is it the New York Post? Or Rush Limbaugh? Now, I'm open-minded enough to consider the fact that it may be. But when was the last time the Post or Limbaugh criticized anything that anyone affiliated with the Bush administration did? So I'm confused here. I would never go to a doctor who covered up facts about my health because he's supportive and proud of my body or is afraid of coming off seditious to the chest cavity of Adam McKay. I wanna know. So who? Who is it cool to listen to?
If Dick Cheney came out tomorrow and said, "We should all be in jail. We started a war based on information we knew to be false, we've let big business write our energy policy and we outed a CIA spy as political payback," would he then be dismissed as "bitter" or a turncoat? Once again, I really want to know.
Okay, so lately it seems like Tom Delay has stepped out of the pack and raised his hand and said "Hey! I'm pretty awful." And the corporate and religious right has backed him 110 percent. So my question is this: do you, as a right-leaning American, really, honestly, in your heart of hearts, believe that he is a good man? And by "good man," I mean someone who's not concerned with personal power but is focused on the health of our nation and the best for the most. Really? Is there anyone out there who really, truly, honestly thinks this? Because we know there are pretty bum Democrats and pretty lousy people everywhere you look. I'm not fond of Joe Lieberman. And I'm also not crazy about Democrat Mayor Daley of Chicago. So really? Can you honestly and in the spirit of truthfulness tell me that Tom Delay is good for this country and is a caring man? Really? And if you can, that's cool, too. I'm just curious as to how and why. So help me out.
Okay. That's it for now. But please help me out. I'm trying to get what's going on in this country. I really am. It's confusing. I thought we all wanted kind of the same things (a strong economy, clean air, opportunities, good world standing, peace, good schools) but lately I'm being told that if you criticize or question these Bush guys or Pat Robertson dudes you are automatically a dirty liberal. I've always considered myself pretty moderate so I don't get it. But I'm open to some answers that don't involve name-calling. I really am.