The Good Fight

I'm not a very political person. I follow the news and investigate my options before I vote (and I do vote, in nearly every election) but I don't go out and campaign for anyone, or read a candidates blog or even donate to either party. I am a registered Democrat, because I'm more socially liberal, however I'm in favor of the death penalty and a government that doesn't regulate my personal life, which are more Republican attributes. I voted for Bush in 2000. I voted Libertarian in 2004 because I was not a fan of either candidate.

Why am I saying all this? Because I don't want anyone to misunderstand my motivation when I start bashing President Bush in the next paragraph. I voted for him. I'm unbiased by the "evil, liberal" media. But I have reached a level of such disgust that... well, I'm blogging about it.

I didn't understand why we were going to Iraq, but I had faith in my president. I figured that we had to have some legitimate reason to go over there and fight the good fight, and I know I wasn't the only one following along for the same reasons. Five years later, no one can possibly think this has been a successful invasion.
As far as I can tell, Sadaam was no more evil than Iranian President Ahmadinejad; Iraq no more dangerous that North Korea. On the contrary, both those seem to be potentially more serious issues than Iraq ever was. Unfortunately, these are issues we can no longer hope to properly threaten or fight thanks to our depleted and damaged military.

Despite this frustration, I've actually been brought to a boiling point by our problem at home. Our president refuses to answer questions posed by the Senate, and now is even refusing to allow his staff to testify. Harriet Miers, Alberto Gonzales, Dick Chaney- these are just the higher profile members of the Bush White House who continually spit in the face of our country. Rather than owning up to mistakes, justifying decisions or being honest and transparent with the workings of the White House, these people continually hide, lie and scheme.

It disgusts me, and what's more I can't help but think how furious the founding fathers would be. They took pride in creating a system of checks and balances, a system Bush is now mocking. I don't think 2008 can come fast enough and though I don't yet know who I'll vote for, you can believe that my greatest concern will rest in finding someone who starts by respecting the government he or she wants to represent.