Walter, Identified by this fictional piece details the problem of what is wrong with America. Congress has no balls.
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Subject: Deja vu in fiction
Worse Than Fiction
January 7, 2005
By PAUL KRUGMAN
I've been thinking of writing a political novel. It will be
a bad novel because there won't be any nuance: the villains
won't just espouse an ideology I disagree with - they'll be
hypocrites, cranks and scoundrels.
In my bad novel, a famous moralist who demanded national
outrage over an affair and writes best-selling books about
virtue will turn out to be hiding an expensive gambling
habit. A talk radio host who advocates harsh penalties for
drug violators will turn out to be hiding his own drug
addiction.
In my bad novel, crusaders for moral values will be driven
by strange obsessions. One senator's diatribe against gay
marriage will link it to "man on dog" sex. Another will
rant about the dangers of lesbians in high school
bathrooms.
In my bad novel, the president will choose as head of
homeland security a "good man" who turns out to have been
the subject of an arrest warrant, who turned an apartment
set aside for rescue workers into his personal love nest
and who stalked at least one of his ex-lovers.
In my bad novel, a TV personality who claims to stand up
for regular Americans against the elite will pay a large
settlement in a sexual harassment case, in which he used
his position of power to - on second thought, that story is
too embarrassing even for a bad novel.
In my bad novel, apologists for the administration will
charge foreign policy critics with anti-Semitism. But they
will be silent when a prominent conservative declares that
"Hollywood is controlled by secular Jews who hate
Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular."
In my bad novel the administration will use the slogan
"support the troops" to suppress criticism of its war
policy. But it will ignore repeated complaints that the
troops lack armor.
The secretary of defense - another "good man," according to
the president - won't even bother signing letters to the
families of soldiers killed in action.
Last but not least, in my bad novel the president, who
portrays himself as the defender of good against evil, will
preside over the widespread use of torture.
How did we find ourselves living in a bad novel? It was not
ever thus. Hypocrites, cranks and scoundrels have always
been with us, on both sides of the aisle. But 9/11 created
an environment some liberals summarize with the acronym
Iokiyar: it's O.K. if you're a Republican.
The public became unwilling to believe bad things about
those who claim to be defending the nation against
terrorism. And the hypocrites, cranks and scoundrels of the
right, empowered by the public's credulity, have come out
in unprecedented force.
Apologists for the administration would like us to forget
all about the Kerik affair, but Bernard Kerik perfectly
symbolizes the times we live in. Like Rudolph Giuliani and,
yes, President Bush, he wasn't a hero of 9/11, but he
played one on TV. And like Mr. Giuliani, he was quick to
cash in, literally, on his undeserved reputation.
Once the New York newspapers began digging, it became clear
that Mr. Kerik is, professionally and personally, a real
piece of work. But that's not unusual these days among
people who successfully pass themselves off as patriots and
defenders of moral values. Mr. Kerik must still be
wondering why he, unlike so many others, didn't get away
with it.
And Alberto Gonzales must be hoping that senators don't
bring up the subject.
The principal objection to making Mr. Gonzales attorney
general is that doing so will tell the world that America
thinks it's acceptable to torture people. But his
confirmation will also be a statement about ethics.
As White House counsel, Mr. Gonzales was charged with
vetting Mr. Kerik. He must have realized what kind of man
he was dealing with - yet he declared Mr. Kerik fit to
oversee homeland security.
Did Mr. Gonzales defer to the wishes of a president who
wanted Mr. Kerik anyway, or did he decide that his boss
wouldn't want to know? (The Nelson Report, a respected
newsletter, reports that Mr. Bush has made it clear to his
subordinates that he doesn't want to hear bad news about
Iraq.)
Either way, when the Senate confirms Mr. Gonzales, it will
mean that Iokiyar remains in effect, that the basic rules
of ethics don't apply to people aligned with the ruling
party. And reality will continue to be worse than any
fiction I could write.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/07/opinion/07krugman.html?ex=1106103695&ei=1&en=25edc622da9b371d
Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company
