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Just and Equitable Societies for Dummies

by AltHippo @ 11:31 am. Filed under US8

From a close reading of DC journalists, a pattern is emerging. There’s something about writing for Time, Newsweek, the Washington Post, etc., that changes one’s perspective on issues that I’d call Civics 101: Just and Equitable Societies for Dummies.

Take Matt Cooper (please):

Maybe Bush would be better off with some national unity type attorney general. But he shouldn’t have to neuter himself. He has a right to appoint who he wants if they’re within parameters of integrity and competence. Olson more than meets those standards. And if Dems reject him, that’s a bad precedent for their presidencies. They ought to be free to appoint liberals who are as partisan and brilliant as Olson.

Umh, no. Integrity and competence are necessary, but not sufficient requirements for an attorney general. There must also be a standard of independence. We had such an extreme case in Gonzales that the bar is probably permanently lowered, but still. You can’t permit the Justice Department to be used to get your boss re-elected. You can’t use the office of US Attorney to prosecute your political enemies, and give your buddies a get out of jail free card.

Secondly, the advice and consent of the Senate is there, not because someone thought it would be a delightful bit of formality to dress up the president’s rubber stamp. There’s a great number of reasons not to trust the chief executive. The consensual nature of the Senate is a necessary means of preventing the president from totally f’ing things up. And make no mistake, even with an opposition party leading the Senate, this president is doing a heckuva job of f’ing things up.

If advice and consent is what Cooper means by the president “neutering himself,” then I would call that a just and equitable neutering.

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3 Responses to “Just and Equitable Societies for Dummies”

eRobin Says:
September 15th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
what makes me the craziest about cooper’s comment is that he’s still treating this administration as if it deserved the benefit of the flippin’ doubt. anyone bushco nominates to be ag shouldn’t get out of committee. we will do better without an ag than with one these maniacs choose. it has come to that and cooper is a stooge to suggest otherwise.
eRobin Says:
September 15th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
arrrgh - forgot to close that tag.
and i actually looked for a preview button this time
AltHippo Says:
September 16th, 2007 at 12:16 am
My first reaction to what you just said about Cooper is “sad, sad, sad.” One of the most important lines from “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf”, in my opinion. That we live in a time when the administration should no longer get the benefit of the doubt is just that “sad, sad, sad.” And that the journalists of this time don’t understand this is also very sad.

Knowing a little about Edward Albee, I would like to suggest that this is exactly what he had in mind when he wrote “Who’s Afraid…” It’s a study of sadism, masochism, domination, and passivity. I absolutely believe that he meant that as a comment on society, and not just on the relationship between one man and one woman. I think he meant it more to show how things play out when there’s no balance in our relationship to others.

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95. Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum (I think that I think, therefore I think that I am.)
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eRobin Says:
September 15th, 2007 at 10:05 pm

what makes me the craziest about cooper’s comment is that he’s still treating this administration as if it deserved the benefit of the flippin’ doubt. anyone bushco nominates to be ag shouldn’t get out of committee. we will do better without an ag than with one these maniacs choose. it has come to that and cooper is a stooge to suggest otherwise.

arrrgh - forgot to close that tag.
and i actually looked for a preview button this time

AltHippo Says:
September 16th, 2007 at 12:16 am

My first reaction to what you just said about Cooper is “sad, sad, sad.” One of the most important lines from “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf”, in my opinion. That we live in a time when the administration should no longer get the benefit of the doubt is just that “sad, sad, sad.” And that the journalists of this time don’t understand this is also very sad.

Knowing a little about Edward Albee, I would like to suggest that this is exactly what he had in mind when he wrote “Who’s Afraid…” It’s a study of sadism, masochism, domination, and passivity. I absolutely believe that he meant that as a comment on society, and not just on the relationship between one man and one woman. I think he meant it more to show how things play out when there’s no balance in our relationship to others.

September 14, 2007

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