A Dark Rant On Gridlock
Deborah Venable
12/04/06
I’m
getting pretty sick of hearing about the impending “gridlock” that the
politicians are predicting as a foregone conclusion for the last two years of
Bush’s presidency. In the weeks that
have passed since the elections securing the slim Democrat majority in both
houses of Congress, we have seen ONLY capitulation to the incoming powers
BEFORE the fact. That certainly does
not constitute gridlock in my book!
The
Bush administration looks weaker now than it ever has before, and it has
nothing to do with the majority in Congress.
Need I remind anyone of Rumsfeld and now Bolen? Not to mention politically correct
sterilization of the White House policy message on Iraq. No, there won’t be much gridlock going
on. Oh, maybe a small veto here and
there if the Democrats really get out of line, but that pen will have plenty of
ink left when Bush packs it to leave the White House I’m sure. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think so.
I
told someone recently that I will be very glad when the next two years are over
– not because I necessarily agree with the negative take this person has on
Bush, but because he has been so very effectively neutered by public opinion
driven by the unrelenting, liberal agenda media. This country does not need an administrative cripple in the
presidency right now, but that’s what we have.
I don’t seem to remember all this capitulation by Bill Clinton when he
was finishing out a presidency he had subjected to deliberate, political
suicide. No. He still stood defiant to the opposition and true to his own core
values (or lack thereof). Perhaps it was
because he knew something that Bush doesn’t know or won’t let himself believe –
the people that supported him would continue to support him as long as he
didn’t attempt to get along with the other side. He also knew that it would be the “next guy” that would get the
blame for any untidiness he left the country’s business in – and he didn’t care
about that at all.
So I must wonder, what is in store for the “next guy” or gal? Bush is setting it up for only a moderate Republican to replace him, but if that replacement were to be a Democrat, he or she could be the most radical leftist on the face of the earth and step right in – or the Democrats might decide to keep it safe and push forward a moderate. In any case, if things don’t change, or if I’m only half right about all of this, the reputation of the office of presidency will have been further tarnished.
I sometimes wonder if America will ever again be united in purpose and resolve about anything again. I used to be a lot more optimistic on that point than I am now. The idealism of the American Dream continues to take a back seat to a tarnished reputation America does not deserve because of the ignorance and apathy of the American people. And because of the deliberate attempt by so many to defeat the honor of American heritage. God help us, and forgive me this dark rant so unlike my usual fare.