Bizarro Kristof; Same Old Bush and Cheney

The only explanation I have for the NY Times’ Nicholas Kristof launching into a tirade which culminated in a recommendation of the vice president’s resignation should he continue his evasive silence, is that a day before Halloween, the evil spirit of a traitorous liberal has taken residence inside the normally empty space in his skull cavity and assumed control of his being.

Since Mr. Libby is joined at the hip to Mr. Cheney, it's reasonable to ask: What did Mr. Cheney know and when did he know it? Did the vice president have any grasp of the criminal behavior allegedly happening in his office? We shouldn't assume the worst, but Mr. Cheney needs to give us a full account. Instead, Mr. Cheney said in a written statement: "Because this is a pending legal proceeding, in fairness to all those involved, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the charges or on any facts relating to the proceeding."]

Balderdash. If Mr. Cheney can't address the questions about his conduct, if he can't be forthcoming about the activities in his office that gave rise to the investigation, then he should resign. And if he won't resign, Mr. Bush should demand his resignation.

Egad! Spooky.

Meanwhile, appearing on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” Sen. Harry Reid noted that Bush and Cheney chose to laud Libby’s dedication. (“Scooter has worked tirelessly on behalf of the American people and sacrificed much in the service to this country. He served the Vice President and me through extraordinary times in our nation's history.” – Bush; “Scooter Libby is one of the most capable and talented individuals I have ever known. He has given many years of his life to public service and has served our nation tirelessly and with great distinction.” – Cheney.) Neither took the opportunity to register a modicum of anger, frustration, or disappointment with Libby, should the charges prove to be true. I imagine that’s because they already know they’re true—and don’t bloody care, just like they didn’t care about preventing three-quarters of a million dollars of taxpayer money from being spent on an investigation into something to which they could have provided an answer two years ago. These apathies should be of particular concern to American voters, but since the media has seemed reluctant to clearly acknowledge them, perhaps it hasn’t been given due consideration.

Then again, if there’s one success the Bush administration has had, it’s solidifying the cynical and too-popular notion that the government is irreversibly corrupt, so no one can be bothered to be shocked anymore. Quite a legacy that is—the killers of hope that goodness and governance are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

(Crossposted at Ezra's place.)