Bush Surviving Due to Apathy
Kate Grelle
Issue date: 4/11/06 Section: Opinions
By tossing out the Jose Padilla case, which, if heard, could have led to the imposition of limits on the president's wartime authority, the Supreme Court also demonstrated their reluctance to impose a check on the Executive Branch. The president, like the spoiled child of overly indulgent parents, continues to act in an abominable manner, without the slightest concern for repercussions. He can lie, he can completely disregard the Constitution, he can make up the rules as he goes along -- and he can do so with the confidence that no one will try to stop him.
How, one might ask, is this possible? The answer: apathy. The apathy shared by the American public, resulting from endless corruption, lies, and duplicity on the part of its elected officials. Analysts and pundits look to the dismal failings of our efforts to establish democracy in Iraq and ask, "What went wrong?" Among the plethora of answers to this question, one of the most important is often overlooked: We have provided no model to which any fledgling government would wish to aspire. Instead, our government has consistently shown itself to be one riddled with double standards, whether in regards to treatment of detainees, ethical behavior of elected representatives, or any other area in which our democracy is supposed to be superior to any other government on the face of the planet.
And yet, the apathy felt by so many Americans is not difficult to understand. For apathy is surely a more comfortable sentiment than outrage - and how is it possible not to feel outraged when spending more than five seconds reading the newspaper? (Personally, I've taken to reading the NY Times while on the elliptical trainer at the gym -- as my blood begins to boil, I crank up the resistance on the machine, leading to quite the intense workout! But I digress …)
The testimony of Scooter Libby offers a pinprick of light at the end of the tunnel of hopelessness. Perhaps finally, finally, this Administration will be held accountable for its actions. The chief prosecutor, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, will not easily be deterred from pursuing this investigation as far up the Administrative ladder as is necessary. Perhaps when enough tangible evidence has amassed, the other two branches of government will at last be willing to say "Enough!" Whether the apathy of the American public will prove to be fatal, even if such events transpire, remains to be seen.
How, one might ask, is this possible? The answer: apathy. The apathy shared by the American public, resulting from endless corruption, lies, and duplicity on the part of its elected officials. Analysts and pundits look to the dismal failings of our efforts to establish democracy in Iraq and ask, "What went wrong?" Among the plethora of answers to this question, one of the most important is often overlooked: We have provided no model to which any fledgling government would wish to aspire. Instead, our government has consistently shown itself to be one riddled with double standards, whether in regards to treatment of detainees, ethical behavior of elected representatives, or any other area in which our democracy is supposed to be superior to any other government on the face of the planet.
And yet, the apathy felt by so many Americans is not difficult to understand. For apathy is surely a more comfortable sentiment than outrage - and how is it possible not to feel outraged when spending more than five seconds reading the newspaper? (Personally, I've taken to reading the NY Times while on the elliptical trainer at the gym -- as my blood begins to boil, I crank up the resistance on the machine, leading to quite the intense workout! But I digress …)
The testimony of Scooter Libby offers a pinprick of light at the end of the tunnel of hopelessness. Perhaps finally, finally, this Administration will be held accountable for its actions. The chief prosecutor, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, will not easily be deterred from pursuing this investigation as far up the Administrative ladder as is necessary. Perhaps when enough tangible evidence has amassed, the other two branches of government will at last be willing to say "Enough!" Whether the apathy of the American public will prove to be fatal, even if such events transpire, remains to be seen.
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