Mistakes Were Made

Is it me? Or is it a pretty "ballsy" republican (and some of them really are pretty "ballsy"), given the current political climate, that quotes Richard Nixon when the shrapnel is ringing around his head? (And why can't I already find a photoshopped pic of Alberto Gonzales with Dick's trademark "V for Victory"'s?)

Granted, the whole "mistakes were made", followed by "and there'll be no punishment" plan, is SOP in this administration every bit as much as it was in Nixon's day. (Gonzales is certainly old enough to remember when Nixon was saying it...I checked...so that can't be the excuse.)

Of course, if Cheney really is writing everyone's parts, it may just be that Gonzales tried to go all 'cowboy' (that's not 'gay cowboy'), thinking on his own, and really fucked it up.

Likely, as in the case of Scooter, they're not returning his calls right now.

Maybe they just don't care anymore. So what if they get caught doing something amoral and/or illegal? What's the worst that can happen? Clearly, they own the Justice Department and the Supreme Court. Congress couldn't get them out faster than they'd be out anyway. A smack on the nose with a rolled up newspaper, maybe.

Okay, okay, I get it. We're not gonna worry about the consequences of our actions before we act. It's a little pre-school for me, but if we're going that route, how about owning a few more mistakes then, while we're at it?

Mistakes were made when we insisted there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, when our own operatives were telling us there weren't.

Mistakes were made when Bush tampered with phone lines and private communications of Americans.

Mistakes were made when this administration deliberately put an undercover CIA agent in danger by making public her personally identifiable information.

Mistakes were made when our vice-president gave a hunting buddy a face full of buckshot and no charges were brought against him.

Mistakes were made when the rights of the American people to decide the outcome of U.S. political races was taken away.

Mistakes were made when Bush ignored information regarding the levies in New Orleans just before Hurricane Katrina.

Mistakes were made when FEMA was unable (or unwilling) to respond in the aftermath of that same cataclysmic event, due to funds being earmarked for the Iraq War.

Mistakes were made in deliberately downplaying global warming and doing NOTHING to halt the environmental impact.

Mistakes were made at Abu Ghraib (though the administration would tell you that those mistakes are in the form of information being leaked) where human rights were violated and torture was not only condoned, but ordered.

Mistakes were made when social programs were cut, and then replaced by funding of faith-based programs.

Mistakes were made with cronyism towards Halliburton and heretofore quashed inquiries into the numerous no-bid contracts they've been awarded.

Mistakes were made when Mark Foley was buggering underage interns and the republicans were working hot and heavy to cover that up.

Mistakes were made when we doubled the national debt in five short years.

I have to wonder how many more "little mistakes" can be swept into hiding. And how long it will take to net Bush the same fate that Nixon earned...

In the meantime, I'm counting the days and hoping that the shenanigans will stop before any more damage can be done.

History tells us that, sometimes, it takes a really long time for us to own these mistakes in the first place, let alone do something about them. Shouldn't we be trying to think things out on the front end a little better, so that we don't make the mistakes in the first place? We are still trying to teach our kids this lesson, right?

Hmmm, perhaps this time will be different.