mirrorpool: October 2005

Finally we are beginning to see some of the indictments that the extremists controlling our government so richly deserve. It will take a real effort by the mainstream media to set the record straight after years of playing along with this charade. First of all, the news media itself, with rare exceptions just to appear balanced, has sold itself to corporate interests backing a neo-conservative agenda. The real mainstream in this country is generally what used to be called liberal and is now represented only by progressive websites and blogs. It's time to take our country back from the right-wing zealots that have taken the reigns of power by force; even hijacking the Republican party. Their goal was never to work with Democrats and others for the common good, but to eradicate all debate by destroying the opposition. They gained the presidency twice and both Houses of Congress over the years with the plot, but it's beginning to disintegrate.

It started with the indictment of Tom Delay on corruption charges that are just an example of the dirty tricks played on America by the current regime. Illegal campaign contributions led to the first Republican majority in the Texas House in 130 years. Once they achieved that, they were able to redistrict so that Republicans could add five more seats in the United States House of Representives. This added to their already swelled ranks possibly gained by the manipulation of electronic voting machines. It will be difficult to undue the damage to our republic and they know it. Part of the problem is that many of them think what they are doing is right for the country. They really believe that the liberalism that has sustained the U.S. since its founding is wrong, and are determined to reverse it. The time has come to show them as clearly as possible the error of their ways. It won't be easy, though Hurricane Katrina ripped away the curtain, and showed there was no real compassion or integrity in their plans.

One way to expose the truth is through the recent indictment of "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff. His violation of security clearances by talking to reporters about a covert CIA agent and subsequent lying about it might be the key to unraveling the web of deceit surrounding the White House. The reasons for talking about Valerie Plame were at the very least intended to discredit her husband, Joseph Wilson, because he had pointed out major discrepancies in the Bush administration's case for the war in Iraq. The Niger documents insinuating Saddam Hussein's purchase of uranium for nuclear weapons were obvious forgeries and the administration had to know it. It's important to find out who forged those documents and how and why they were obtained by our government. That is a possible course of inquiry by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald who is heading the Plame investigation. It is now known that he has the authority to pursue any illegality involved in the case, no matter where it leads.

Of course, the so-called mainstream press has already begun its attempts to provide cover for President George W. Bush at all costs. Most of the current articles in the news are about how his second-term slide can be fixed, as though this were a typical slowdown of support that happens to all presidents. Actually, the actions of this White House constitute perhaps the most impeachable offenses in U.S. history. The only thing stopping the charges are a compliant Congress that was not counted on by the writers of our Constitution. The immediate selection of Samuel Alito, a hard-line conservative, to replace the retiring Sandra Day O'Connor (after Harriet Miers was forced to withdraw), the very next working day after Libby's indictment was announced, is calculated to distract from the criminal trials pending. Next we can expect a concerted effort to blame Democrats for obstruction of the president's agenda. The public is waking up to the distortion, however, and the administration might not get away with it this time.

President Bush has so far escaped close scrutiny in the CIA leak case, but it should eventually catch up with him. Everyone, even those in denial, must know that Bush and Cheney are involved in this, and any supposed lack of engagement by them as an excuse is then direct proof of incompetence. Unfortunately, it's not illegal to be incompetent, so complicity in the leak or its cover-up needs to be indisputably shown. Since the investigation was stalled for over a year by the various lies and red-herrings, it may take a long time to complete. I hope the country has the stomach for it, because if we don't, the consequences could be even more severe. With America's reputation in tatters, only a true reckoning can begin the healing process necessary to reestablish the trust of the nation and the rest of the world. This could be the beginning of a new era of accountability, though we have been disappointed so many times before. If a bright future is possible, it depends on thoroughly understanding the past, and we are starting to see some illumination.

Sources:

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1002-20.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1002-21.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1003-29.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1026-26.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1027-29.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1031-21.htm

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/28/60minutes/main994753.shtml

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20051031/HERSH31/TPEntertainment/?query=Hersh

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10816.htm

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9558564/site/newsweek/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9557669/site/newsweek/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9583433/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9865902/site/newsweek/