The Sad State Of Our Union.

Seems all you have to do nowadays is express something less than giddy euphoria at the prospect that administration figures are about to be indicted for high crimes and misdemeanors and springs start poking through the sofa cushions.

Over the last couple days Jack Grant, Bob Krumm and Marshall Wittman have expressed much the same sentiment, that being one of profound and sincere sadness at our current state of affairs. None of them have offered excuses, or even hinted that crimes shouldn't be prosecuted vigorously.

Jack:

An FYI to those out there slavering in anticipation of indictments of their favorite enemies, I find the use of the word “fitzmas” to be despicable, no matter how supposedly “well deserved” any indictments and punishments may appear.

This is not a time of joy, this is a tragedy, regardless of who is in power.

This is a sign of failure in our system.

This is a time when we should mourn because of that failure, not celebrate at the downfall of some supposed “enemies” who are in the end our fellow citizens.

Bob:

When did politics become so ugly that sad events—the possible indictment of senior members of the administration, and the death of Soldiers and Marines—became reasons for joy for the party out of power?

Marshall:

Having stipulated his distaste for the Bushies, the Moose will not be as jubilant as some if Mr. Fitzgerald announces indictments, even if one of his targets is Rove (in truth, the Moose will then enjoy some schadenfreude). But, it will be a sad day for America. If Administration officials violated the law it will further weaken trust in our public institutions. Cynicism will be the victor.

If indictments are handed down, or up, or in whatever direction indictments are handed (and, not insignificantly, proven in a court of law), I will have some of that sense of sadness, but I will also be heartened that even in this era of supposedly all-powerful secret cabals and conspiracies, there is still a system to bring those who break the law to justice.

This is part of a spreading ooze of corruption. And it is not just Karl Rove, by the way, who engages in it. Witness the Volker investigation into the UN, which is likely to ensnare officials from at least two, maybe more, permanent members of the UNSC and finger some of those entrusted by the world's government to administer the UN's programs as being little more than grifters.

The good thing is that corruption is still a prosecutable offense. We all wish we lived in a better world where those installed with power acted more for the public good than private gain. It's not new, but it is getting old, isn't it?

For those who don't get this: There indeed is a difference between satisfaction that justice has been served and elation that some target of one's ire has been brought low.

If I have sadness, it is for the current state of our union. We have always been a country built on partisanship. I am actually in favor of partisanship, having engaged in it for most of my political life. That I am not presently now practicing, I may return someday. However, partisanship requires a level of self-awareness that is absent in far too many areas today. The Republican pledge to bring dignity back to the White House seems a little hollow, doesn't it? And Democratic sniping turns to flaccid belly-aching when past Democratic pecadillos are remembered.

No one is pure evil, no one pure good. Let's remember that and stop acting as if our own excrement doesn't stink.