It's time to stop playing

This past August, when Senate Democrats began questioning why they should support an energy bill that doles out billions of dollars to special interests and pork-barrel projects but does embarrassingly little to actually addresses the energy crisis, the administration accused them of “playing politics at the pump instead of passing the President's plan.”

And when Democrats tried to compromise with the administration on judges (pull the most extreme conservatives in exchange for passage of the rest of them), they were accused of “playing politics” with judicial nominees.

The John Bolton nomination? Yup! “Playing politics” again.

How about questions on why we invaded a country based on intelligence that turned out to be completely and utterly wrong? What does the administration think about asking who is responsible? You guessed it, they are all “playing politics.”

Given this brief (and rest assured, a comprehensive list would have to include virtually any policy for which there is even the hint of disagreement) history of how this administration accepts responsibility for its actions, it should come as no surprise that the colossal blunders of our government during the recent tragedy has similarly been dismissed, or at least indefinitely postponed, when Scott McClellan called questions about the administration’s actions partisan sniping, and insisted that “This is not a time for finger-pointing or playing politics.”

I will not rehash exactly how this administration has failed this country, particularly since so many already have (Paul Krugman’s columns here and here is a nice start, as is Bob Herbert’s editorial and this touching look at Fox News journalists actually reacting with anger, tears, and even cursing at the degree of ineptitude they have witnessed).

I will say however, that what makes this administration such a failure in my eyes has not been its colossal mistakes, with the cost in lives and money astronomical, nor is it just their inability to admit doing anything wrong, a callous and arrogant attitude that is as much an insult to the American people as an insight into their blame-avoidance mentality. No, what truly bothers me and so many others is the almost continuous “attack” mode. We saw it full force first against Gore, then against Democrats, and even against members of his own administration that dared to tell the truth. It is this policy of character assassination and straw-man argumentation that has facilitated (though not created) the massive partisan divide in this country. Whereas President Clinton chose compromise and reconciliation with Republicans (which many mistakenly interpreted as a lack of conviction), Bush has chosen again and again a policy of deflecting blame and accusing anyone who does not agree as merely “playing politics.”

It is a cheap excuse to dodge the issue and rely on ad hominem attacks to put critics on the defensive. Judging by Bush’s sinking poll numbers, it appears to be loosing some of its edge. In the coming months and years, as the nation starts to reap the massive economic and military blunders that this administration has sown, it will not be so easy to accuse everyone else of petty partisanship. The latest disaster is only the beginning.