Polianiac

Last night I was lucky enough to get a seat on a 5:30 p.m. Metro ride to Virginia. A headline in a man’s newspaper right next to me caught my eye: “Mrs. Bush Defends Her Husband’s Legacy.” Sarcastically I thought, what is she supposed to do—not defend?

Once home, I felt ready to re-engage with the world of the political. I sat down in my chair with a dinner of diet coke and popcorn. Within five minutes I had changed the channel four times, squirmed 180 degrees around in the chair, and actually felt my face do this crinkled up thing it does when my brain fills with an incredulous “What?” Intentionally, I froze while asking myself, “Okay, what’s going on?”  

CNN was jumping between the Bush Legacy (euphemism) and the fighting in the Gaza Strip, volksnews was discussing the birth of Bristol Palin’s baby who I believe has been named Tripp (why am I surprised?) and Chris Mathews’ special “The Decider” started on MSNBC… Mark the day down folks—The Decider won!

The Decider revisits the past eight years in a way that allows the viewer to relive the time as it happened, contextualized within the historic frame in which events unfolded. I consider myself a political junkie and honestly there were aspects in this piece that I had forgotten or wanted to forget when contemplating the years known as Bush-Cheney.

Couple this piece with my Christmas Day viewing of Frost/Nixon (Imagine Entertainment 2008) and no wonder I was squirming. Hell, I have been squirming since 2003…

What has to happen to us before we finally say enough? This country has been here before. This country will continue to arrive at this threshold of power abused if we do not once and for all say enough of this! I wonder: Are we the people really okay with Bush going back to Texas, taking up the life of gentleman rancher, acting as if he did nothing wrong? What of Cheney — the man who continues to manifest unbridled arrogance?

I think I am squirming because it feels like this one is actually going to walk away…