Traitors and patriots

Well, now we know how the Bushies respond to being on the ropes -- they come out swinging, as witnessed by Karl Rove's recent lambast of "unpatriotic" liberals in the wake of 9/11. It's not an unexpected response, but it does show just how dirty desperate men are willing to play. The fact that it's kicked up so much repressed anger from among formerly meek Democrats is actually encouraging; maybe the Dems have found their lost testicles and will stand up to this McCarthy-like demagoguery.

One must ask, however, just why Rove is stirring this particular pot at this particular time. Never assume that this was a careless mistake; everything these despots do is intentional and well-planned. So why this and why now? I think it's a simple strategy to shift the sands on the playing field. Bush's approval rating is reaching historical lows, the Iraq war has become a burden with no end in sight, and the masses are prepping for revolt. What do you do when you're down and almost out? You attack. It's a basic defensive maneuver -- go on the offense. Strike out at those who are striking you; better yet, strike out before you've struck out. Expect more of this before we're done -- and it expect it to get much nastier. That's how these guys play.

And when does this end? Well, it won't happen with a Republican Congress, but if the 2006 elections kick out a fair number of incumbents (which is possible), we could be talking impeachment. I'm all for it; Bush has committed crimes against this country and others that make Nixon's Watergate problems pale in comparison. (And let's not even go into the partisan farce that was the Clinton impeachment.) Unless something drastic happens to change the playing field -- and with this bunch, nothing, no matter how big and nasty, is out of the question -- we could finally see Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al pay the price for their actions over the past four years or so.

It is interesting, however, how hypocritical this right-wing bunch really is. When a Democrat says torture is bad, he's called a traitor and forced to back down. When Rove viscously attacks detractors of White House policy, why, he's just telling the truth. Never back down, never give up, never surrender. These guys have balls. Wish the Democrats did.

Here's what the Dems should be saying. They should point to Bush and Rove and Cheney and all the rest and say that blind loyalty -- especially blind loyalty to a bad idea -- is not patriotism. A true patriot tries to make the country better. He doesn't accept the faults, nor follow bad policies (and bad leaders) blindly. A true patriot is not afraid to challenge his leaders or to point out those things that aren't perfect; he tries to change things to make this a better country.

It's those mindless sycophants who weaken America, not the patriots who challenge criminal behavior and try to make this country a better place. The real traitors are the politicians and despots who ignore the Constitution and the Bill of Rights for their own personal gain. Rove should go, as should his boss. It's only a matter of time.

But that's just my opinion; reasonable minds may disagree.