Exit, pursued by a bear.
James, over at vacua, is looking for a macguffin.
In suspense movies and the thrillers you buy at airport bookshops, the discovery of one single significant piece of evidence—an incriminating letter, a tape recording, a computer disk—suffices to bring down the government. In the real world, the state of the evidence is apparently quite irrelevant. We know perfectly well that the current administration conducts aggressive wars on the basis of fudged intelligence, tortures suspects, taps phones without a warrant in direct violation of black letter law, engages in endless character assassination, buys television personalities, suppresses scientific information from public agencies, helps energy companies rip off states, and winks as its corporate supporters rip off the treasury through sweetheart contracts. Only a tobacco lobbyist could raise doubts about the reality of this pattern of wrongdoing.
Scruggs thinks it’s the other shoe.
Treating as normal people who are dangerously batshit is self-defense. If you pretend not to notice, they pretend too and don’t have to kill you to protect their charade. As always, the people who disturb me most are those who have coddled the charade, but are now getting that sinking, oh my fucking god feeling. They’re anxious for anything that would return us to a world where epistemic relativism isn’t the rule, but they’ve circumscribed their ability to assist that by playing the short term smart game.
Me, I just can’t get over how they’re running a plot that’s right out of (say) your average Xena episode.
FEINSTEIN
Can the president suspend, in secret or otherwise, the application of Section 503 of the National Security Act, which states that no covert action may be conducted which is intended to influence United States political processes, public opinion, policies or media? In other words, can he engage in otherwise illegal propaganda?
GONZALES
Senator, this will probably be my response to all of your questions of these kind of hypotheticals. Questions as to whether or not—can Congress pass a statute that is in tension with the President’s constitutional authority? Those are very, very difficult questions, and for me to answer those questions sort of off the cuff, I think would not be responsible.
FEINSTEIN
You’re lost for words? That’s somewhat outta character, don’t ya think? Bush wanted this war on terror ’cause he thought he could scare you into thinking change would bring anarchy. This man would do anything to remain in power—including lying, murdering, and brutalizing your children.
GONZALES
It’s—it’s all lies! Everything I’ve done was for the sake of the children!
Now’s the bit when Xena and Gabrielle solve everyone’s problems, right? —In that episode, they did it by dancing.
