Fourth Estate, Where Art Thou?
With all due respect to all the current President’s men (and women), the Bush administration cannot lay claim to being the most unethical in recent history. Having been given a second term and a majority in the House and Senate, it might yet earn that dubious distinction.
The Bush Administration has historic Republican role models, and seems to have learned to emulate some of the most repugnant characteristics of the worst (and best) of them.
We remember Warren Harding, perhaps the Patron Saint of over-reaching Republican Administrations. It was he who perfected the fine art of turning the White House into a cash cow to be milked by the President and his cronies.
We remember the Nixon White House and all of that President's men. Spiro “Nolo contendere” Agnew denied doing anything wrong all the way to his resignation and tax-evasion plea! The bribe-taking Vice President referred to critics as “nattering nabobs of negativism,” while his Chief looked sincerely into the lenses of TV cameras as he assured the nation that, "I am not a crook." Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, this was Nixon's assertion all the way to his ignominious exit from office.
We remember the seeming sincerity with which Ronald Reagan narrowly averted a Nixonian fate after he was “busted” for authorizing covert actions that were in direct contravention of U.S. law. He, at least was able to persuade critics and supporters that he had been “mistaken” in some of his actions. He was not anxious to precipitate a Constitutional crisis, nor was he foolish enough to risk a test of whether his actions constituted “High Crimes or Misdemeanors.”
All of the foregoing found ways of rationalizing the abuse of the power entrusted to them by the citizenry. Since the middle of the Twentieth Century, the American Presidency has arguably been the most powerful political office on earth. With the downfall of the USSR, and the development of some truly amazing weapons technologies, the United States has become The superpower. If it is true that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, then being Commander in Chief of The superpower must have powerful corruptive influence. If the President comes out of and/or admires a tradition of venality, greed, coercion, and self aggrandizement, the potential for turning to the Dark Side is great indeed. When that President has the successes and failures of like-minded predecessors to learn from, the temptation to confuse being Chief Executive with being the Nation’s Dictator may be too great to resist.
One of the most effective counter forces to office-holders run amok is the press. The press, in all its incarnations, and with its Constitutionally-granted freedom has the potential to thwart those who would distort, defame and ultimately destroy the unique entity that is the United States of America.
Two young reporters, a supportive Managing Editor, and a fearless publisher were instrumental in bringing down a Presidential Administration that flaunted its power and flouted its responsibility to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Today there seem to be Neither Woodwards, nor Bernsteins, nor Bradlees, nor news organizations with the courage to act as anything but sycophants for the Administration, no matter how spurious its claims nor how convoluted its logic.
Politicians should be expected to vigorously advocate for themselves. The press should be honest and objective enough to report proven facts as proven facts, presumptions as presumptions, assertions as assertions, and unsubstantiated claims as unsubstantiated claims – even if they emanate from the highest office in the land. It might sometimes be necessary to remind the President that he is not the Emperor, and to acknowledge when he lacks “clothes.”
The Bush Administration has historic Republican role models, and seems to have learned to emulate some of the most repugnant characteristics of the worst (and best) of them.
We remember Warren Harding, perhaps the Patron Saint of over-reaching Republican Administrations. It was he who perfected the fine art of turning the White House into a cash cow to be milked by the President and his cronies.
We remember the Nixon White House and all of that President's men. Spiro “Nolo contendere” Agnew denied doing anything wrong all the way to his resignation and tax-evasion plea! The bribe-taking Vice President referred to critics as “nattering nabobs of negativism,” while his Chief looked sincerely into the lenses of TV cameras as he assured the nation that, "I am not a crook." Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, this was Nixon's assertion all the way to his ignominious exit from office.
We remember the seeming sincerity with which Ronald Reagan narrowly averted a Nixonian fate after he was “busted” for authorizing covert actions that were in direct contravention of U.S. law. He, at least was able to persuade critics and supporters that he had been “mistaken” in some of his actions. He was not anxious to precipitate a Constitutional crisis, nor was he foolish enough to risk a test of whether his actions constituted “High Crimes or Misdemeanors.”
All of the foregoing found ways of rationalizing the abuse of the power entrusted to them by the citizenry. Since the middle of the Twentieth Century, the American Presidency has arguably been the most powerful political office on earth. With the downfall of the USSR, and the development of some truly amazing weapons technologies, the United States has become The superpower. If it is true that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, then being Commander in Chief of The superpower must have powerful corruptive influence. If the President comes out of and/or admires a tradition of venality, greed, coercion, and self aggrandizement, the potential for turning to the Dark Side is great indeed. When that President has the successes and failures of like-minded predecessors to learn from, the temptation to confuse being Chief Executive with being the Nation’s Dictator may be too great to resist.
One of the most effective counter forces to office-holders run amok is the press. The press, in all its incarnations, and with its Constitutionally-granted freedom has the potential to thwart those who would distort, defame and ultimately destroy the unique entity that is the United States of America.
Two young reporters, a supportive Managing Editor, and a fearless publisher were instrumental in bringing down a Presidential Administration that flaunted its power and flouted its responsibility to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Today there seem to be Neither Woodwards, nor Bernsteins, nor Bradlees, nor news organizations with the courage to act as anything but sycophants for the Administration, no matter how spurious its claims nor how convoluted its logic.
Politicians should be expected to vigorously advocate for themselves. The press should be honest and objective enough to report proven facts as proven facts, presumptions as presumptions, assertions as assertions, and unsubstantiated claims as unsubstantiated claims – even if they emanate from the highest office in the land. It might sometimes be necessary to remind the President that he is not the Emperor, and to acknowledge when he lacks “clothes.”
posted by Cassandra Paine at 2:18 AM
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