According to Paul Krugman Wesley Clark said "I think we're dealing with the most closed, imperialistic, nastiest administration in living memory. They even put Richard Nixon to shame." Krugman agreed with this sentiment.
Let's recap, Nixon resigned from the presidency one step ahead of a successful bill of impeachment because his nastiness included high crimes, felonies such as criminal conspiracy, abuse of office, and a laundry list of other crimes. He had an enemies list and abused the executive power of the US to go after his enemies. And George W. Bush, who has not been credibly accused of any of this, is supposed to be worse?
Somebody ought to go back and double check Clark to see whether he wants to soften his position. It's not too late to claim it was a 'heat of the moment' gaffe. But Paul Krugman isn't speaking to a crowd in the heat of the moment. He doesn't have the excuse. The evidence in support of this is laughable. A former Cabinet officer conducts an interview and on national television, the assertion is made that National Security Council transcripts (which are generally secret) were handed over to a journalist. A nice graphic accompanying the piece seems to indicate that secret documents were distributed. And it's supposed to be a sign of Nixonian evil that this is being investigated? Wake me up when O'Neill gets audited as so many conservative think tanks were during the Clinton years.
President Bush had lots of opportunities to reach out and smack the Democrats. He didn't keep records of White House damages so the GSA couldn't recommend prosecutions as many conservatives wanted. The IRS is being fairly evenhanded in nonprofit group audits these days, not continuing the audit war that started in the '90s. Last minute executive orders were often upheld, two Clinton judges were resubmitted, and a great deal of patience has been expended on the question of Democratic filibusters of Bush nominees.
That doesn't mean that President Bush is a big softie, or nonpartisan, he's not. But it's scandalous to the point of just plain nuts to assert without foundation that this is a criminal administration that should be impeached. After all, anybody nastier than Nixon is guilty of crimes deserving impeachment, as Nixon was.
The final cherry on top of this tower of frothing partisan madness? Krugman's assertion that "all of the candidates [for the Democrat party nomination to the Presidency] are actually quite moderate". Dennis Kucinich, moderate, Al Sharpton, moderate, Howard Dean, moderate. Is Lyndon LaRouche moderate as well? There are no liberals in sight in the Democratic party and evidence is a mere formality for Bush's criminal guilt. This is the sign of a man losing his political marbles. Why he is in such an influential Op-Ed page is beyond me.
Posted by TMLutas at January 16, 2004 05:12 PM