Chocolate is Exquisite, What a Pity it Isn't Illegal

The White House and several Republicans who have continuously backed the justification for the Iraq War, the amplified power of the Executive Branch, and the general creep of authoritarianism across the political spectrum are now quickly backing off of their positions and have decided to take a very awkward stance. In the beginning, they were absolute in their beliefs. To disagree with their neoconservative ideals was tantamount to patriotic heresy. Everything was going perfectly, justified, and right. Now, as truth is shown the light, they have gone to contending that what they did was not illegal, only incompetent. This tactic speaks to the complete degradation of their argument. Not only are they out of all logical defenses, they have also resigned themselves to simply trying to convince everyone that they are not criminals.

The problem with this new debate over whether or not their actions were unlawful is twofold. Firstly, by immediately taking a “last stand” approach on the lowest common denominator of the argument (the legality of their actions), they are conceding all of their actions were incorrect, hazardous, and wrong. The second part is that the press was almost completely complicit in the Neoconservative agenda in the aftermath to 9-11. The press cannot report en masse that they were deficient in their jobs as reporters without using up the last of their own political capital and losing the general public’s trust. In short, if they report the abject across-the-board failure of the outgoing Right Wing they are also, through their (non)action, admitting their own incompetence.

What we are left with is two groups who are telling us, directly and indirectly, that they are only a shade better than a common criminal.