It is easy to lambast the media for lavishing the unconscionable amount of attention to discredited figures like former Vice President Dick Cheney on topics like war and foreign policy, but as a lifelong Democrat and supporter of Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, I am totally flabbergasted that I would feel the need to direct my ire at the administration for doing the same thing to those who deserve nothing more than to be quiet.
Particularly galling are the recent comments of Attorney General Eric Holder in reaction to the inane babbling of the Wasilla Warbler -- yes, Sarah Palin -- on an issue as serious as impeachment of the president. No self-respecting chronicler of policy and/or politics views anything this ditzy hack from the Yukon has to offer as anything short of an audition tape for some wacky reality pilot. Yet here we are commenting on delusional drivel from an incredibly ill-informed and intellectually challenged half of a has-been.
That the Attorney General, one would surmise with the blessing of the White House, would dignify a serious accusation from someone who lacks anything even remotely resembling credentials to speak on matters large or minuscule that would impact a populace beyond her immediate family is simply mind-boggling. Unfortunately I believe it is representative of the degree of abject desperation that has gripped the nation and its leaders, and I use that term very, very advisedly. The serious issues plate is certainly full at the moment and I do not envy the difficult decisions that are facing this president, but to spend capital on the rhetorical gyrations of a self-described Momma Grizzly is more fitting for an episode of South Park than This Week.
Memo to the White House: you did not see fit to call out the criminal activities of the previous administration even though their devious misadventures have helped create global instability yet you train your sights now on this most comically inept of caricatures? Especially one who is so desperate to be a part of any political dialogue and so pitifully irrelevant to serious discussion that the fact that you bring attention to her comments assures positioning her on your level? Really? Did you really think this through?
As a serious student of policy and politics I would like to suggest that you be consistent in your dismissal of dangerously inconsequential babbling brooks like any Cheney from Wyoming, or any Palin from Alaska and focus on the truly monumental challenges that are currently parked at your doorstep. Cheney is a war criminal; Palin is an imposter. Cheney possesses a modicum of intelligence; Palin, well...
Do not allow your administration to be sidetracked by the sideshow that these clowns bring to the arena; they are there to fill space. In an earlier blog, I implored the president to treat the refugee crisis at our Texas border with the sensitivity of a father and have been discouraged by the language suggesting that he would expeditiously process these children back to their home countries. It appears that may be changing as more thought goes into the critical decisions that lie ahead. I hope so.
This is the most imminent issue that you need to be engaged in at the moment and I would strongly suggest that you be very careful with your words and actions so as not to encourage the dismal fringe that has kidnapped the Republican Party. Doing the right thing here will find great acceptance and support of the American people, and the right thing is to live up to the ideals we so cherish in this nation: namely, to protect these children from danger and harm while extending the open arms of opportunity to all who wish to apply themselves. Nothing more, nothing less!
But for Pete's sake, don't waste precious energy and time responding to the likes of Sarah Palin. It demeans you and your Administration and only encourages her to spew more of the harmless yet distracting venom that finds comfort in the contemporary garbage dump of sensational media coverage.