Except for the incidents that have been sufficiently covered up, all have one thing in common: a scapegoat. Low ranking military officers, Michael Brown, Scooter Libby, multiple individuals in the justice department, and most recently Robert Mueller. I'm not saying these individuals are innocent victims (far from it), but they are all symptoms, not the disease.

The underlying problem in this case is the Bush administration, and specifically the boss, W, under the control of puppetmaster Dick Cheney. The overriding problem, however, is the authoritarianism of all members of the Bush inner circle.

John Dean hit the nail on the head in his book "Conservatives Without Conscience." George Lakoff also effectively deals with this personality defect in his books, and on his web site, http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org. Essentially, this authoritarianism is an aberration of the conservative personality type. The basis of the conservative ideology is respect for authority, loyalty, conformity, and the general idea that those in power are in power because they are in some way superior to the governed. The extreme manifestation of this conservatism that is rampant in the Bush inner circle, as well as the Bush family, has inevitably lead to the past and current scandals, and will no doubt increase until this sorry son of a bitch is out of office. Essentially, these authoritarian psychos really believe that the strong are superior to the weak, and that they are deserving of special treatment. While they profess to hate big government, it's OK when it gives more advantage to the advantaged (Halliburton, Exxon). Big government is only a problem when it feeds the hungry, treats the sick, houses the Katrina victims, etc. While they honestly believe that the purpose of government is to provide a friendly business environment and maximize profit, their motivation for this belief is open to debate. While they profess to believe that by maximizing profit, the working class benefits, reality does not support these views. While it's obvious to any thinking person that the masses haven't thrived under their policies, they continue to toe the party line. There are only three possible explanations for their continued adherence to these views: they aren't very bright, they are good at rationalization, or they are lying to the masses. These beliefs, and their resultant actions, have a solid cause and effect relationship with the present "scandal du jour" scenario that we have seen unfold.

Their behavior has not changed for the worse recently, but accountability has. The only reason that these scandals are now coming to light is the change in congress. While there may be some disagreement on specific methods of holding W(orst ever) accountable (i.e., leave Iraq now vs. in one year), the fact that there is now congressional oversight will do nothing but bring more scandals to light. W(orst ever)'s reaction to the supplemental appropriations bill is a preview of what is yet to come. He does not have the capacity to accept compromise; he will only retreat further into his inner circle, become more confrontational (because anyone has the audacity to question his supreme authority), and become more reckless. There is only one reason that he can avoid eventual impeachment: he only has two years left, and he may barely outlast his just detractors. In my opinion, there is one better solution than impeachment: a trial for treason after he leaves office under a democratic president who will not issue a pardon.

W(orst ever) is Richard Nixon all over again; except much more dangerous.

Joe
http://butlerdemblog.blogspot.com