past present future
[past]
I just read an extremely upsetting article in the New Yorker, a profile of the woman who took many of the publicized pictures at Abu Ghraib. It was obvious at the time the brutal treatment of prisoners was widespread and sanctioned if not encouraged at high levels in the Defense Department (and probably higher, since the CIA was involved). Yet the media allowed the Pentagon to pretend the actions were done by just a few “bad apples.” As the article notes, nobody above the rank of staff sereant was ever convicted, and only those who actually appeared in the photos were ever charged.
[present]
Confused about the violence in Basra this week? Is it true the US is actually siding with Iranian-backed Iraqis against nationalist Iraqis? You can’t tell the players without this handy scorecard. For a brief analysis of the situation, check in with Middle East expert Juan Cole.
[future]
One gigantic problem caused by the Bush administration (of which the telecom amnesty I’ve written about so frequently is just a tiny part) is its claim of the unilateral power of the executive branch. Over and over the administration has claimed that the Congress and the courts simply don’t matter. Though occasional articles and books are written on the subject, it has gotten far too little public examination. This American Life ran a program, called The Audacity of Government, about some of the bizarre lengths that even obscure parts of the executive branch have gone to in order to assert raw power (it appears it is not yet available as a download—check your local NPR station or subscribe to the podcast).
So far, the government has gotten away with it mostly by invoking the Scary Terrorist Threat. But you have to wonder how conservatives who have been comfortable with the Bush pose will feel if that unchecked power is wielded by, say, a Clinton administration. And you have to wonder how, even with presumably the best intentions, a new administration will feel about giving up the power grabbed by their predecessors. Governing is hard, and it is tempting to grab every tool you think you can use.
On the matter of signing statements, for example, a process by which the President says “I don’t care what the law says, I’m going to do what I damn well please,” both Obama and Clinton have said they will not rule out using signing statements. McCain says he will not use them, but as the This American Life program points out, he’s got some wiggle room. Besides, McCain’s positions on nearly everything have wiggled like a weather vane over time. Have you noticed how he’s easing up on even the question of torture?
[am I dreaming?]
Like many other people, I feel the last eight years has been a Kafka-esque nightmare and look forward to January 2009 when we can finally wake up. But I’m afraid, like the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, every time we think we’ve awakened it may turn out to be just another iteration of the dream. Sometimes life is a little too much like a B movie.
And then of course there’s this: 6 Signs the U.S. may be heading for war in Iran. Just in case you were feeling too confident about the future.
