The notion that government service can be honorable is now as foreign as French to most Americans. The idea that government once was and can still be a force for good is seen as naive at best and Marxist at worst. The idea that society had an obligation to help its poorest members is a burden most would give up in a heartbeat if it meant lowering their taxes by a dime.

How did the Republican Party get hijacked by a braying, selfish pack of greedy jackals who convinced Americans that their future lay in anti-government, anti-intellectualism, isolationism, know-nothingism. "Is we educating our children"! Jesus, what a legacy we're leaving, what a fine example to the rest of the nations of The Greatest Country in the World.

Well, the future seems, in some respects, clear. We're going to war in Iraq and then, with the entire Muslim world. Environmental standards will be relaxed precisely to the point where they no longer interfere with commerce. Americans will continue to lead the world in per capita energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission. As American self-righteousness grows, it's respect in the world will decrease.

This, apparently is what Americans, the majority of voting Americans, want. As for the non-voting portion - screw them, they're fair game for anything that happens (unless they're not old enough or too infirm to vote). The blame rests with Liberals too ashamed to be Liberal to fight for their cause. The blame rests with a moribund Democratic Party that refuses to champion the possibility of nobility in public service, thereby assuring that the next generation of best and brightest go elsewhere, anywhere else but the business of governing.
8:15:24 AM    Comments?()