Can the GOP Keep the Lid On Everything FOREVER?

People are saying--from astrologers in India to Salon.com writer Dennis Jett--that the Bush administration will be out of business before their term is up because of scandal. To quote Jett’s first paragraph in his November 8 opinion piece, The Curse of Bush II, “At some point in the next four years there will be a great scandal that will make Watergate look like a fraternity prank. All the elements are already in place.” With the tantalizing treasure trove of offenses that could break the back of the most secretive administration the US democracy has ever spawned, speculating is irresistible. Will it be the intimidation of print and TV news that is now being revealed? Or maybe the voter-fraud investigation by pros, amateurs and anyone who has a computer will prove how low and criminal the BushMen are. And then there is VP Cheney’s involvement with the Halliburton “Irregularities” in Iraq. How about Abu Ghraib? Or it could be an across-the-board impeachment of the whole BushMen lot for war crimes. But my personal choice is the depraved indifference (or criminal negligence...take your pick) exhibited by the Bush administration when the 9/11 attack could have been avoided. The war in Iraq is the only thing that kept George W. Bush from being a lackluster incompetent one-term president. And the war is a major factor that kept many otherwise intelligent people from booting him out of office in this past election. They feared that changing administrations while we are fighting in Iraq would cause the situation to become even more unstable. Does inaction and criminal negligence mean the same thing as causing or promoting? It does, if the result is the same. We mounted a war based on lies and deceit about the 9/11 attack. We all would be wealthy if we had a dollar for every time the Bush team and Bush supporters said “9/11” during the recent campaign. Even though he sat in stunned (or grateful) silence when told about the attack, Bush’s positive record as President was mainly based on ballyhoo about his response to the 9/11 attack. It is impossible not to wonder about the depraved negligence that brought it about. In any case, we have before us an array of crimes committed by the BushMen that may end Bush II before the term is up. Or, given their penchant for overreaching and arrogance, something we don’t as yet know about could bring them down. But as Dennis Jett says, ”Yes, the devastation will be extreme. The good news? He'll (Bush) sow his own destruction.” And, in case you’re wondering, the GOP cannot keep the lid on all their transgressions forever.