The translation of the Latin is from St Paul’s Cathedral, designed by Christopher Wren,and means “If you seek his monument, look around you.” Apologies to Wren, but that’s how I see the task of progressives now and going forward: remind anyone and everyone that the mess we see on the news, in the papers, and all around us is the product of the administration, perhaps the least competent, yet most venal, in US history.
This piece on the truthful triangle is interesting. We caught a glimpse of an unleashed media in the wake of Katrina, as the facts came in faster than they could be spun, as journalists were so caught up in telling the stories they were seeing. It didn’t last but the fact it occurred gives me hope it could happen again.
Setting aside 2006 congressional prospects and the remote hope for progressives that Bush will be impeached, the grand political battle of the next three years is over Bush’s legacy.
For rightwing bloggers who have fiercely defended one of the most controversial and polarizing presidents in our history, their fortunes will rise or fall with his approval ratings. The blind allegiance to Bush and the furious assault on his detractors will be vindicated if he leaves office with popular support.
Rightwing bloggers will thus do everything in their power to prevent another Katrina triangle, where the confluence of blogs, media, and Democratic leadership exposes the real Bush and shatters the conventional wisdom about his ability to lead. And they will struggle mightily to boost his poll numbers, whether it means ignoring the reality of the Iraq fiasco or the terrifying implications of the bungled federal response to Katrina.
For progressive bloggers who see a president presiding over the collapse of America’s credibility, the urgent work ahead is to cement the post-Katrina impression of Bush as a failed president. Whether or not they succeed depends to a large extent on their ability to compel the media and Democratic establishment to stand with them and speak the truth.
I was also struck by this quote by David Brin on my Google home page:
It is said that power corrupts, but actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.
This is a corollary of one of my favorites from Abraham Lincoln:
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.
I think we have seen how that works.