Two Hands Better Than One?
May 31, 2010
Clearly, the most corrupt and incompetent political administration in our history is being followed by a slightly less corrupt administration. Whether the current administration is more competent, remains to be seen. The current cast of characters, including Interior Secretary Salazar, has attempted to "clean up" the considerable human waste, left by the Bush administration, with one hand tied behind its back. Instead of launching Justice Department studies to eliminate sleazy and incompetent members of the Mineral Management Service, Salazar was encouraged to slowly but surely let some of the worst offenders go, while trying to build useful relations with offending oil companies. This approach has led not only to the worst natural disaster in our history, but to eleven deaths. A similar approach to reform of treatment and protection of coal miners has led to scores of needless fatalities as well.
Wall Street has been "saved." Bravo! It is something the previous administration could not accomplish. Unfortunately, it has been saved "for itself," but not "from itself." The SEC, so totally corrupted by our last administration, worse than the MMS, has both hands tied behind its back. Bernie Madoff, AIG, Goldman Sacs, all were beyond the reach of the SEC and still are. Only one agency can clean up the rancid squalor left behind by eight years of sheer political debauchery. That agency, unfortunately, is the weakest of all of the agencies inherited by President Obama.
Led by brilliant, but weak appointees like Eric Holder and Elena Kagan, the aptly nicknamed "Injustice Department" may actually be weaker now than it was under the legally retarded Alberto Gonzalez and his kinky menagerie of mail-order Christian Law School graduates. At least Gonzo and fellow "goons" did not punish "whistleblowers" for simply telling the truth. Clearly, Ms. Kagan seems to have failed to do her job in an effort to placate Republicans in her bid for a Supreme Court Appointment. In fact, the primary mission of the Obama Administration, thus far, seems to be that of placating Republicans, while the primary mission of Nancy Pelosi's Congress seems to involve mostly aggravating them. Neither Mr. Obama nor Ms. Pelosi seems to have the right perspective.
By restricting the Justice Department in any effort to investigate and eliminate the corruption of the Bush years, Mr. Obama is dooming his own presidency and the efficacy of every single government agency under his jurisdiction. He will be blamed for the BP oil spill because his Justice Department did not reopen the Abramoff scandal. His Justice Department could not fire and replace prostitutes like Leura Canary, Alice Martin and Louis Franklin, masqerading as federal prosecutors, because Abramoff associates like Senators Shelby and Sessions objected? Who is running this country, anyway? Where is Mr. Obama looking for advice? His dog?
While the list of failures of this Justice Department continues to grow, confidence in government, itself, continues to erode. In addition to its failure to investigate the MMS, the SEC, the Abramoff scandal, rampant subornation of perjury by rogue prosecutors, and illegal E-mails in the White House, the "Justice Department" has ignored illegal torture of both prisoners and our own soldiers, the apparent murder of Karl Rove computer guru, Mike Connell, fixed elections in Ohio, and illegal firings of U.S. Attorneys.
So, while Republicans continue to politically sodomize their own "constituents," Democrats continue to play with themselves. A word of advice to Mr. Obama and loyal Democrats: Learn how to perform your mental masturbation with one hand, so you can, at least, do something with the other hand!
Allen Finkelstein, D.O.