The past 10 days or so have been very bad for conservatives politically. Rising to power as the voice of "family values," three stories caught my eye this past week which have solidified the fact that no government, no political ideology or leadership is worthy of claiming any kind of moral high ground. Politics is and will always be a hypocritical bunch of power hungry dirt bags, who will spin anything and compromise any amount of integrity to make themselves look good and the opposition look evil. Here are the three issues that reaffirmed to me the fall of the "family values" politician.
1. Scooter Libby. Scooter Libby lied. He lied to FBI officials, he lied to investigators, he lied to a court. That is against the law. It doesn't matter how big, small, or unimportant an issue is, Scooter Libby lied and is guilty. He can't blame anybody but himself. If he tells the truth, he is a free man today. What made my blood boil is listening to talk radio last week excusing his lies as silly and unimportant. The talk shows said since there was no crime charged for the original investigation, Libby shouldn't be found guilty here. Hmmm. Seems to me that I remember during the Whitewater investigation that Clinton lied under oath about an affair, which had nothing to do with the original investigation. But he lied, and he was impeached. At the time, I remember the talk shows claiming that it didn't matter that is was Clinton - that even if it were a conservative, they would feel the same way, because the law is the law. Well here we are, and those same talk shows are using the Clinton playbook to call these findings nothing. Remember the Rose Garden ceremony after the impeachment? Conservatives have staged their own Rose Gardens on the airwaves for the past week and I have had it. What happened to principle and abiding by the law.
2. Ann Coulter. If a Democrat used the word to describe a Republican that Coulter used to describe Edwards, what would the reaction be? Conservatives would be up in arms, calling for an apology. Why can't those same conservatives practice what they preach and condemn Coulter and stop hailing her as a hero? Hannity said that he isn't going to condemn her remarks until Democrats condemn remarks that their leaders have made. That's really standing on principle isn't it? It is such a childish and ridiculous excuse it drives me crazy. "I'm not going to apologize until you do!" That is not taking the moral high ground. I've had it.
3. Newt Gingrich. Newt came out and admitted that while he was pushing for Clinton's impeachment, he was having an affair. But that he was not being hypocritical, because the issue for Clinton was about lying under oath, not because of an affair. This gets us back to my first gripe about Libby. (By the way, Gingrich ended his first marriage by placing divorce papers on the hospital bed of his first wife while she was overcoming cancer. )
So what to do? How are we supposed to vote for a bunch of cheating, lying, hypocrites? Neither party has the high ground. Power corrupts, and no matter how pure one's intentions may be when entering the political game, the seduction of power and the political culture in this country darkens the hearts and blinds the eyes of every person caught within its grasp.
I think it is time for evangelicals to cease blindly supporting one party or the other. Being a Republican or a Democrat doesn't make one a better or worse Christian. But allowing a political party to corrupt one's theology and compromise one's standards weakens one's faith. It's time to take a deep breath, take a step back and re-evaluate evangelical politics in this country. It pains me to write much of this. I am reminded about what Rich Mullins said in an interview. He said that he wanted government to work, but that he thanked God for Richard Nixon because he shattered Rich's hope that government could work. Well, in the same way, I thank God for Scooter Libby, Ann Coulter, and Newt Gingrich. They have helped re-emphasize the fact that government does not work and never will...until we get to heaven.
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I too am disillusioned by so-called conservatives, especially those who abused the American people with their incessant use of earmarks simply for pork projects.
As for Scooter Libby, I desagree that his "lying" case was in the same league as Bill Clinton's. Libby's case smacks of entrapment. Before investigators ever talked to Libby they had already discovered who "leaked" Plame's name to Novack. The guy had already confessed. Thay also knew that no law had been broken because she wasn't an undercover operative as defined by the law. They continued on the fishing expedition to see who they could catch and they caught Libby lying about where he heard the name. Yes, he lied. No, he does not deserve prison time.
Clinton lied to cover his own but (and other parts) from an action he had committed. He also conspired to get someone else (Monica) to lie on his behalf. He got his law license suspended.
Sandy Berger stole and destroyed secret documents from the National Archives. Further, he lied about it to investigators. His punishment, suspended security clearance for a couple of years.
Suspend Libby's if he has one. Or, take away his security clearance, but jail, no.
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