Absolute power corrupts absolutely

There is a temptation that seeps into the souls of even the most righteous politicians and leads them to bend the rules, and eventually the truth, to suit the political needs of the moment. That arrogance of power is on display with the Bush administration.

That is the first paragraph of David Ignatius’ very fine, though short editorial in today’s Post. I was preparing to write a similar entry here making the same general point, but can cut my lecture short with such good work by the pros.

Cheney, who according to a statement by former Senator and current friend Alan Simpson (R-WY) in another very fine Post article “decided when he was defense secretary during the Persian Gulf War that journalists ask "stupid questions" and distort things”, so he therefore “sees no need to publicly explain himself”, has not even apologized for the incident, despite the fact that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department found that “the main factor contributing to the accident was a hunter's judgment factor” and “no other secondary factors were found to have played a role”. Or in other words, it was entirely Cheney’s fault; no ifs, ands or buts.

So let me get this straight. The Vice President of the United States does not believe he should be held accountable for his actions or have to explain anything to the American people. That’s the message there, is it not? Does Cheney detest the entire idea of free information and public opinion? Does he believe that he knows best and should not be questioned? Would he rather do away with this whole messy, unpredictable voting thing once and for all?

These are not the actions of someone who loves democracy. They are not the actions of someone who loves America. They are certainly not the actions of a patriot. Cheney should be ashamed – and not just because he shot a man in the face.

Tags: politics