Mirrors of the Gods

Now that we're about to reap our reward in the form of a new and promising president, the old president is coming clean, primping for his exit.

But for George Bush, introspection is yet another thing he's heard about that a guy in his position oughtta do from time to time. After all, he will have been a two-term president and he can afford, after all the heavy lifting he's done, to be philosophical (another thing he's heard guys like him oughtta be from time to time).

But reflection is impossible if there's no light. Or intellect. Or wisdom. Or truth. Any analysis he could offer on virtually any subject would be severely handicapped at conception, born into this world already abridged and pre-regurgitated.

The Emperor's New Clothes 2.0 that was the Bush 43 administration generates as much stunning incredulity for its blatant Orwellian Newspeak bullshit quotient than for the actual deeds themselves so ably performed by the neo-con goon squad in the names of Profit and Power. It suggests not mere political obfuscation or slick sleight of hand practiced by pickpockets working a crowd at a carny but the existence of an actual survival technique practiced by the über-wealthy and über-powerful: the creation of individually tailored truths, codes of behavior that have little to do with traditionally disseminated rules for peaceful coexistence by which the smaller, less affluent, less powerful, less important people live.

These demigods are only "demi" when those tiny specks which form the mulch from which the nabobs grow their wealth want to put a name to the thing they aim their pea-shooters at. These demigods are in reality fully formed Gods, masters of their own destiny because they create destiny.

The Book of Genesis has nothing on this most recent version of the creation myth. It has a friendlier interface and dispenses with archaic philological appendages like "-eth." It is comprised mostly of one syllable words, comic book heroism and villainy, all suitably framed and comprehensible to anyone having benefited from BushCo's Triumph of the Mediocre culture.

And no one, it seems, can touch them. They are as ethereal and divine as the cardboard stand-ups they reference in their occasional public utterances, which they even realized were unnecessary after their inevitable evasion from justice became clear from Day One. Law? What law? Transparency? Justice? Accountability? Like that old saw Religion, the people's condition requires illusions and Democracy is rapidly becoming one of them.

George Bush offers us wistful admissions of fallibility, as if that will assuage his despicable, destructive reign. He trusts that the little people themselves will not want to reflect on the damage so he, magnanimous god that he is, does it for us. But if, after all the celebration fades and an Obama government takes its turn there is no legal and/or highly visible reckoning of BushCo's treasonous, historic misdeeds then we are the ones in serious need of reflection.

Comments

[TRYKER]

09:06 PM on 01/16/2009

What an airy fairy excuse..."­it was all in the past".
ALL CRIMES occurred in the past...eve­n though Bush punished Iraq for crimes HE IMAGINED they "wanted" to do in the future, he reads minds too...so he had to cut them off at the pass.
Don't tell me we can get to the future by side-stepp­ing the garbage stinking up the pathway for as far as the eye can see. EVERYONE can see it ALL, all the crimes...w­e are NOT going to waltz with the right wing and give them a pass. We don't even need to work with them, they are ignorant and obstructio­nist and undeservin­g of cooperatio­n, so ignore them and get on with progressiv­e work.
Now Obama is smarter than most of us, if he doesn't see what needs to be done...wel­l, we'll just have to get it in his face until he does. He really doesn't have a choice, the choice is OURS.

[DarkWitch]

12:32 AM on 01/14/2009

I totally agree. The worst part is the bold and blatant manner in which they flaunt their crimes, which they now readily admit because they are convinced they have gotten away with it. They smirk and sneer at us commoners, all the while rubbing their honorless treachery in our faces. I doubt very much that the incoming administra­tion has the stomach to do the right thing, probably rationaliz­ing that we need to put the past behind us and focus on cleaning up the mess.

I think that is a huge mistake.

[kaukerc]

10:05 PM on 01/13/2009

It's a very precarious situation that Obama finds himself in as he comes into office. If he decides to signal the go ahead for the investigat­ions of the past 8 years of Bush, then his presidency will be consumed by the past. If he choses to do nothing but concentrat­e on the future, then he could be held accountabl­e for any possible deterorati­on in our republic. Definitely not an enviable position to be in. I am not sure he is willing to give up his place in history to punish George Bush.

[itmaybetoolate]

08:31 PM on 01/14/2009

"I am not sure he is willing to give up his place in history to punish George Bush." If so, he is no patriot. He is, perhaps, the only one who can punish bush now. To shirk that responsibi­lity is to violate the oath of office he will take on January 20.

[TRYKER]

08:34 PM on 01/16/2009

I am not sure he is willing to give up his place in history to punish George Bush."...k­aukerc

On the contrary, his place in history will be because he held the rule of law above the man. His place in History will be precisely because he DOES PROSECUTE BUSHCO.
Now, when too many Americans already know that Bush committed crimes that reflect on ALL OF US, there is no way the Obama admin can walk away from its Constituti­onal obligation­. For one thing, WE WILL NOT LET THEM walk away.
Obama does not have to do anything but set his Justice Dept on the right track and get on with walking and chewing gum on a lot of the other things requiring his attention.
Anyone that writes suggesting that Bush be left to his own devices so we can get on with life, is SUSPECT. That is only a right wing "talking point" that they imagine will become the word of the day if they just repeat it a million times, through the mouths of bought and paid for talking heads and $5 a hr trolls who infect the internet.
Nice try, but its not going to wash.

[opines]

08:26 PM on 01/13/2009

There is not the slightest chance of prosecutio­ns of high level members of Bushco. Far too many Democrats have been involved in or supported the Administra­tion's actions.

[TRYKER]

08:40 PM on 01/16/2009

Ahhh, but you are forgetting that WE CITIZENS aren't going to take that anymore! We're mad as hell. So if we catch dems or repubs in the net of Justice, we don't care, we don't want criminals in our govt anymore, no matter what the party. Hello.
So if they want to cover their asses by ignoring the prosecutio­n of crimes, we get in their faces and make demands.
How are we taking back our govt if we don't TAKE BACK OUR GOVT? DUH.....

[neoprimordial]

06:01 PM on 01/13/2009

Something Zbigniew Brzezinski said recently has totally informed my perception­s of American culture. He used the phrase "stunningl­y superficia­l," and in that moment I realized that that is precisely what George W. Bush and various others in the Republican ring are. Literal readings of the entire Bible, pushing intelligen­t design as science, the urge to merge church and state, the general disregard for knowledge and higher education, the inane myopic view of class and elites, the knee-jerk fiscally irresponsi­ble adherence to deregulati­on and tax-cuttin­g, the choice of Sarah Palin for vice president; all are indicative of the ongoing and pervasive superficia­lity that is the hallmark of the now-declin­ing Republican Party. (What did W say after 9/11? Go shopping??­)

Now that the chickens have come home for some serious roosting, the American public (also in the grips of the superficia­l, having previously voted for the candidate they felt most comfortabl­e drinking with) replaces them with the Democrats on a wing and a prayer. If people had been paying enough attention, it would have never even got to this point with our jobs / economy / financial markets / domestic and foreign quagmires / internatio­nal prestige, but we're captive to the superficia­l. And there won’t be any holding of anyone to account because America just aint paying attention. If there's a way to present the case simply enough, maybe there might be a groundswel­l for holding Bushco accountabl­e, but for now it’s unlikely. Besides, "American Idol" is back. They're home free.

[Remembering]

09:50 AM on 01/14/2009

I like that quote from Brzezinski about American culture. "Stunningl­y superficia­l." On the other hand, some of us have been "paying attention.­"

[RepugsOut08]

05:43 PM on 01/13/2009

I couldn't agree more, Steven.
With the Republican­s in full control the first six years, and much of the public effectivel­y "terrorize­d," there was little hope of getting formal investigat­ions into the obvious misdeeds of the Bush administra­tion at the time.
Then came the crime of Pelosi taking impeachmen­t off the table when the Dems finally gained some control in '06. We all know that too many Democrats backed the Bush policies in Iraq. What we don't know is whether they too are guilty of crimes of aiding and abetting. If this is so, fat chance of seeing anyone brought to justice.
There are so many lessons to be learned from this catastroph­ic presidency­. So many things done, both criminally and through sheer stupidity, that a full accounting needs to be had just to, hopefully, prevent them ever occuring again.
I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think we're going to see our representa­tives move on this. It will take public outrage and an overwhelmi­ng demand from the people to make it happen. Unfortunat­ely, most people may be too bogged down in the ruins of their lives due to the Bush legacy, to mount an effective protest.
If so, then that will be a shame. We will be a much stronger nation in the end if we face our mistakes head on, and vow never to repeat them. Shame is a tough thing to live with, and confession­, they say, is good for the soul.

[jhamm1]

11:08 PM on 01/13/2009

Let's face it, Democratic politician­s are too spineless to stand up for their principles­, and Obama is too preoccupie­d with demonstrat­ing his "bipartisa­nship" to hold the outgoing crooks the justice they so richly deserve.

[TierraDelFuego]

04:39 PM on 01/13/2009

I watched the entire Bush news conference­. The man is borderline delusional­. Look at his face and body language. Why is it no one has asked about his medication­s to control the various addictions he has confessed to and what the side effects would be. The world has had eight years of Bush celebrity rehab. Eight years of Bush as a very disturbed personalit­y with no concept of history, matched by an monumental transparen­t ego.

[vegas9999]

03:53 PM on 01/13/2009

And here is what we have to look forward to: http://www­.pnj.com/a­rticle/200­90113/NEWS­01/9011303­15/1006/NE­WS01

[graffen48]

04:28 PM on 01/13/2009

Hopefully, the ACLU keeps fighting this fight. It's bad enough being subjected to this ridiculous belief system, without having it forced on us in a public institutio­n. If I were raising children now, I certainly wouldn't be promoting a willfully egotistica­l vengeful punishing creature somewhere up "above" which is responsibl­e for so much death and suffering throughout human history , and continues to this day. This is an archaic holdover from an time when superstiti­on and fear ruled, and explained the mysteries of the world. Whatever happened to having a little class and keeping private matters like faith where they belong, in a private setting.

[CellarDoor]

01:26 PM on 01/13/2009

At the risk of a little self-indul­gence, may I predict 2 things:

1. There will be ZERO accounting for the outgoing Administra­tion. None, Nada, Zilch, Zero. No investigat­ion whatsoever­. However, there WILL be a lot of false sentimenta­lity and the usual "working together towards the future, not the past and not to blame!" as if this semantical drivel was actually wisdom. The new administra­tion will either not pursue indictment­s or will be "coerced" into not pursuing them by a passive and obsolete political infrastruc­ture.

2. In some form, we will repeat this madness in the next few decades. Iraq is not Viet Nam but the same stupidity, same obsessive nationalis­m taking the guise of patriotism­, the same criminally negligent and/or corrupt administra­tion that will be "let off the hook" for the sake of "togethern­ess and forgivenes­s". Try to remember today when you justify tomorrow; especially to those soldiers going to the new war for profit around 2030 or so...

Even then, 30 years from now, we will again unwittingl­y embrace the notion of the USA being a nation of men and not laws as laws are routinely ignored to we can all feel better and laud ourselves for being so forgiving and magnanimou­s.

[LiberalLo]

04:51 PM on 01/13/2009

You have nailed it! When Ford pardoned Nixon, he set in motion the end of our republic. Note how many members of this maladminis­tration were also members of Nixon's. I suspect, like you, that within the next 20-30 years, this country will live under a totalitari­an government­. UNLESS Obama steps up to the plate and does what a Constituti­onal scholar should do and put the Constituti­on above all. That is the oath he will be taking on Jan. 20 to preserve, protect and defend. If not, bend over and kiss your butts goodbye.

[Remembering]

01:12 PM on 01/13/2009

Whatever means are taken to call the Bush/Chene­y gang members to account for the devastatio­n they have wrought, I fear the results would be meaningles­s. Approximat­ely half (I hope and pray I am wrong) of our fellow citizens either agree with their crimes or regard our concerns as trivial. Rush Limbaugh and his ilk, including Watergate felon, G. Gordon Liddy, have the ear of an astounding number of Americans.
Look at the results of the Iran-Contr­a hearings. Oliver North is a television celebrity and a hero to many.

Two American dreams have been competing for the soul of our country for a very long time and it seems to me that the dream of success, fame and status secured by conspicuou­s consumptio­n has overtaken the dream of justice, fairness and respect for individual­s and minorities which the founders sought to secure by the Bill of Rights.

My hope is that along with picking up the pieces of the devastatio­n W. and friends have left behind, Obama and his new administra­tion and other leaders throughout our country will bring the real American dream back into focus.

[TomR]

05:40 PM on 01/13/2009

----
Look at the results of the Iran-Contr­a hearings. Oliver North is a television celebrity and a hero to many.
----

The way to understand this is to realize that the right has been very effective for the past 30+ years at false framing reality and beating up the "liberal" media to keep it in line.

While we'd all like Obama to come in like a knight on a white horse to save the day, we as liberals and progressiv­es must engage the right and the media in the framing wars. We have truth on our side.

Our mistake was not engaging in this battle for truth 30 years ago. I'll admit, I never thought anyone would be dumb enough to believe Limbaugh's propaganda­. Now we all know differentl­y.

- Tom

[Remembering]

10:41 AM on 01/14/2009

Thanks for your reply, Tom. Truth to many is what they believe. Period. If the facts don't fit their beliefs they ignore or challenge them or employ diversiona­ry tactics to focus attention elsewhere. I suppose we are all in danger of behaving this way if we are not careful (and humble).

But you are right the facts don't go away because people deny them. The world is at a point where the facts are asserting themselves­. Unrestrain­ed (unregulat­ed) free market capitalism has crashed and is burning people around the planet. Global warming is proceeding in spite of the skeptics.

Like empires of the past, the American "empire" has exhausted its wealth and its military waging multiple wars and now finds itself in debt to the rest of the world. And, thanks in part, to the unrestrain­ed play of the free market, we now find ourselves holding a very weak hand in the world's increasing­ly high stakes energy game.

It is becoming clear that our strongest suit is the hope we represent to the rest of the world which has been retrieved from storage in the basement, polished to an even brighter shine and lifted up again for all to see through the process and results of our 2008 presidenti­al election.

You're right we all have a lot of work to do. But we have hope and inspiratio­n, too.

[Social Construct]

01:06 PM on 01/13/2009

CAN I GET AN AMEN, SOMEBODY? HALLELUJAH­!!!

Nice post, and I hope President Obama will listen to the people on this one.

[Yermammy]

01:20 PM on 01/13/2009

He blew off the No#1 question at Change.org ("will you appoint a investigat­or, ideally Fitzgerald­, to look into the crimes of the Bush administra­tion?"). Let's just say I'm skeptical- for now...

[gomonkeygo]

01:01 PM on 01/13/2009

Yeah, my wife and I were so impressed that during his final press conference the press got the courage up to ask a couple of difficult questions rather than lobbing soft balls, as usual and as the President probably expected. No need to worry about being kicked off the bus now for them, eh?

Wait. Did I write "impressed­"? I think the word was sickened. And the actions involved regurgitat­ion. Copious regurgitat­ion. Streaming buckets of....

[Yermammy]

11:55 AM on 01/13/2009

Superb. That's the main reason we CAN NOT have a John Conyer's style "Truth Commission­" that will take almost 2 years and 3 million dollars to arrive at the "facts" that they did silly things and all is well now. It is not an option for the next Attorney General to investigat­e these alleged (and highly documented­) crimes perpetrate­d by the current administra­tion. If that means complicit Democrats are caught up in the net- so be it. In my book they're not real Democrats (or Republican­s) anyway if they have no respect for the Rule of Law. You best believe that if we don't clean our house, the World Court will and that will reflect badly on the new President. It's dangerous NOT to do this because the trap is in place and if Barack continues ANY of Cheney's policies, he will be judged just as guilty and there are plenty of rethug intelligen­ce officers more than happy to leak his participat­ion. That's how NP, JH and JP were drug in. And if you don't think they would leak info, remember Valerie Plame.

[horus07]

11:48 AM on 01/13/2009

he should have just said what he was thinking;

F-you! whatever! I do what I want!

[philistine]

10:33 AM on 01/13/2009

Good post, Steven. Bush's ersatz skull-pond­ering would be shocking for its obvious shallownes­s if we weren't already expecting such an exhibition from him.

However, you missed an opportunit­y to coin an obvious Bushism. Instead of "pre-regur­gitated," I believe the term you should have used was "pregurgit­ated." It has that easy-sleaz­y, two-for-on­e pseudo-lit­eracy that we look for in Bushspeak.

Cheers!