Thursday, March 16, 2006

Via Atrios, a depressing reminder that people who speak with a voice of authority are frequently full of shit.

"The Final Word Is Hooray!"
Remembering the Iraq War's Pollyanna pundits

There are those who say, "we have to move on from [insert topic here; the 2000 election, the lead up to the Iraq war, etc.]."

Indeed. I certainly should move on. I would like nothing better than to move on. But there are conditions before I can do so. The people who slung the shit and contributed to the mess need to say, publicly, "boy, was I wrong. I sure am sorry I insinuated that [Saddam had WMD, Iraq was tied to Al Qaeda, Bush is qualified to be president, or even to operate a bicycle, etc.]."

I would be happy to move on. But when the same people who spouted the garbage that fouled the public discourse are still in positions to spout garbage that fouls the public discourse, it's a little difficult to move on. They are still there. They still have a platform, and they still speak with a voice of authority.

The topics change, but the dynamic does not. People on the right will besmirch the patriotism and character of whoever may disagree with their position. People in the press will reflect the desires of the corporation for which they work. People in the press, in the middle, and on the left will be wary about having their patriotism and character attacked.

So, I will be here a while, stuck on certain things, not moving on. Let me know when we get around to Truth and Reconciliation in this country, and I'll see if I can't move on after that.

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