Revolving Treadmill

It seems like we are on a revolving treadmill like on the closing credits of the old Jetsons TV show. News stories that we knew about years ago are just now reaching the mainstream media as though nobody was aware of them before. Big news, folks: Vice President Dick Cheney may have been involved in the Valerie Plame leak. As though we're all dense or so distracted that we didn't understand this from the beginning. Remarkably, this is even a retread from the "news" about six months ago. There are revelations almost every day that just confirm what was already known from other sources a long time ago. Meanwhile, the real story, that the Bush administration lied us into the war in Iraq, is apparently just an obligatory side-issue.

President Bush is now moving towards another war, this time with Iran, and the media is helping him to the point of suggesting that it might happen "accidentally." Woops! We started World War 3. The unasked question seems to be: How will this affect the 24 hour news cycle? Will we be able to continue going shopping as though nothing was awry? Don't worry, corporations are making record profits; the economy is doing great they say. Forget about poverty, it's just not sexy; though talking about it may help if you're running for president. Just keep watching television and consuming junk food to the point of oblivion.

There are positive messages coming from the new Congress and from Democratic candidates in an unprecedented early start to the presidential race. The diversity of the field is encouraging and I find myself excited by the three front-runners, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards, though they each face varying degrees of opposition from within their own party. With choices like these there may be a chance to turn America around before it's too late, though the task is daunting, with more challenges to come. Two years is a long time for a lame-duck president trying to solidify a tattered legacy. At least the issues are being debated fully for the first time, and it's possible some of the damage might be mitigated. We must cling to this hope as we attempt to survive the most disastrous president in U.S. history.

A massive march on Washington occurred on Jan. 27th that exemplified the possibilities inherent in a movement away from greed and war towards understanding and peace with our "enemies" worldwide. Early press reports indicated "tens of thousands" of protesters descending on the Capital, and even though the crowd was eventually estimated at approximately 300,000 or more (by the organizers at least), the figures were never updated and they kept showing the same cropped pictures as if to say it was just a relatively small group of dissatisfied customers, albeit with big names like Sean Penn and Jane Fonda. It was nice that the event was covered at all, though it was probably a combination of the celebrity factor, and the fact that Congress is actually mulling a resolution expressing opposition to the escalation in Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of people protesting the war is being considered somewhat newsworthy for a change; non-reportage of the true numbers notwithstanding.

If Bush now insists on starting a war with Iran, talk of impeachment will increase, though he may gamble that Americans wouldn't be able to stomach such an upheaval during "wartime." Ironically, the final straw needed to convince Congress of the necessity of removing Bush and Cheney from office may preclude their very removal. "World War 3 can't wait for impeachment hearings to take place," they will shriek. Consequently, steps must be taken now to weaken the administration before their plans become irrevocable. Even if Congress doesn't have the votes at the moment to prevail in an impeachment proceeding, they are required by the Constitution of the United States to introduce this remedy anyway, and follow the investigation wherever it leads. The future of the nation and the world is at stake, and that should be enough of a reason to seek accountability from our government.


Sources:

http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0131-25.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0131-23.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0131-26.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0129-22.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0128-21.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0127-20.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0126-24.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0126-25.htm