What grade would you give the Republicans in Washington?
For the past six years they have controlled the executive and legislative branches of government, riding the wave of victory based on a commitment to keeping the country safe, fiscal responsibility, tax cuts, and values.
When it comes to tax cuts, few could argue that they, at least their desire to grant them, deserve nothing less than an "A" grade. Ironically, the commitment to tax cuts ad nauseam is directly linked to their poor grade when it comes to fiscal responsibility.
How many, especially those that consistently vote Republican, can say without reservation that your wages have kept with pace with cost of living increases this decade?
Can anyone say record deficits, run away spending, out of control earmarks, and $2 billion per week in Iraq? Never before have we witnessed the deadly combination of tax cuts and war.
Are we safer? If Iraq, which according to the president is key to the amorphous war on terror, the answer is unequivocally no. Washington Post reporter, Bob Woodward, writes in his latest book 'State of Denial,' that the administration is systematically concealing the level of violence from the American people that Woodward says is roughly 800-900 attacks per week against U.S. troops.
Woodward also suggested that, "On July 10, 2001, (CIA Director) Tenet and his counterterrorism chief, J. Cofer Black, met with Ms. Rice at the White House to impress upon her the seriousness of the intelligence the agency was collecting about an impending attack. But both men came away from the meeting feeling that Ms. Rice had not taken the warnings seriously."
We have instituted a policy in Iraq that went from violence to voting and we wish to call that democracy--at least some facsimile thereof. Given that Iran has more influence in Iraq than we do, we are in effect waging a proxy war against Iran by way of Iraq.
There is no infrastructure for democracy nor does it appear there was ever any plan for such. We have justified torture. Guided by a commander-in chief who views self-reflection like it was the bubonic plague, we helplessly watch as our moral credibility evaporates, while our enemies are bolstered by our ineptitude.
Speaking of ineptitude, who knew the war in Iraq, would give former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger an opportunity to replay the 4th quarter of the Vietnam conflict?
I was shocked, as I suspect many others, when Woodward also revealed on '60 Minutes' that the president's infamous stay-the-course plea could be traced back to Kissinger's "salted peanuts" memo to President Nixon--that troop withdrawals from Iraq would be "like salted peanuts to the American public: the more U.S. troops come home, the more will be demanded."
Sadly, the Republican-lead Congress abdicated its constitutional responsibility for oversight as this fiasco has unfolded.
As for values, if the shenanigans of Tom DeLay, Bob Ney, Jack Abramoff, and Randy Cunningham were not enough, now there is the Mark Foley "October surprise."
Republicans are not the first to be guilty of inappropriate behavior with congressional pages. But they do lay claim to sole possession of the moral high ground.
While I do not believe that the Republican leadership should be held accountable for Foley's specific actions, the problem lies in the failure of the leadership to take action.
Congressman Tom Reynolds reportedly informed Speaker Hastert months ago about Foley's sexually suggestive emails, as did Congressman Rodney Alexander, who brought similar concerns to the attention of party leaders in 2005.
Hastert claims that he does not recall the conversations. How do you not recall when one of your members is accused of sending inappropriate emails to teenagers?
It is sad to witness how little regard the party of values really has for morality when it not used to scare up their base. At what point does the well being of minors take precedence over politics?
No party is perfect, but when we examine what the GOP claims to be their strengths and what they have actually achieved in those areas, what grade should we give them?
Byron Williams is an Oakland pastor and syndicated columnist.
E-mail him at byron@byronspeaks.com or leave a message at (510) 208-6417. Send a letter to the editor to soundoff@angnewspapers.com.