Wednesday, October 01, 2003

Another Scandal? Let's see, since Bush took office his name has been under several screaming headlines for stories with the word "scandal" in them. First was the Florida recount, then there was Enron going out of business, then the supposed evidence that "Bush knew" about 9/11 before it happened, then the Yellowcake bit. The funny thing about all these "scandals" is that none of them materialized to be anything. Each was some small flap or misunderstanding that was blown hugely out of proportion.

Now we're going through the leaking scandal. Did Bush break the law to punish somebody who was critical of him? I seriously doubt it. In fact the columnist who published the leaked information says that Bush had nothing to do with it. But opponents are trying to pump as much hot air into the story before it bursts. As with the other "scandals", Democrats are screaming the Watergate mantra: What did the president know, and when did he know it?

I guess we shouldn't blame them. Clinton had to go through the same shenanigans. Republicans were rattling their tails over Waco, Travelgate, the FBI file snafu, etc. Eventually, Republicans impeached President Clinton because of a "scandal" involving a failed real estate deal called Whitewater. For those who missed the connection, Kenneth Starr was busily investigating Whitewater when he decided to expand his probe to include a sexual harassment suit filed by Paula Jones. While under oath, Clinton denied having sexual relations another woman, Ms. Lewinsky. Voila, impeachment.

Nevermind that Clinton was eventually exonerated of all wrongdoing under Whitewater and the Paula Jones suit was dismissed. But because Clinton lied about cheating on his wife, Republicans created a Constitutional crisis by attempting to remove a sitting president from office in one of the most partisan and ridiculous acts ever committed in U.S. politics.

Unfortunately, we have to sit through the Democrats' retribution -- and they're getting desperate. Despite pleas from Democrats for an independent investigation, we can expect this "scandal" to just go away due time. But relax, I'm sure Bush opponents will find something else to entertain us with.

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