Submitted by Nate, Apr 26, 2007 09:34

How do we ever expect to "win" a war against a nebulous, nearly impossible-to-track enemy when we can't stop bickering amongst ourselves for a week? It is pathetically sad that our politics have degenerated to the point where, instead of actually bothering to run the country effectively, all politicians simply look toward the next election cycle--immediately after the preceding election has ended--and begin jockying for position.

Democrats and Republicans both share the blame for this debacle that we call the last six years of our country's existence, and it is laughable to hear either side blaming the other. Yes, Clinton could have done more to slow the growth of international terrorism when he was in office, but it is also true that Bush and Ms. Rice both saw a memo that was titled "bin Laden determined to Strike Inside US" months before 9/11. Yes, the White House and their congressional lapdogs are the ones who either purposefully falsified or negligently didn't investigate suspect evidence and invaded Iraq without cause, but the Democrats in Congress never bothered to stand up for the truth either, out of fear for their political careers.

The fact of the matter is that both sides have devolved to pandering ninnies, dying for a chance to spout a news-worthy soundbite so inert that it can't possibly be taken the wrong way, while scouring the press pages for a statement by a potential opponent that can be taken out of context on one of the evening talk shows. The press, with all due respect, has ceased actually reporting on events and facts, and simply repeats what the politicians are saying--it doesn't seem to be a news story unless it comes off the desk of a government official, signed and stamped.

All of that said, I am disgusted by Giuliani's comments. There hasn't been nearly enough of a backlash against the Bush administration for politicizing the deaths of thousands of Americans on 9/11, and using near-Orwellian tactics to keep the American people jittery and willing to listen to anything they're told. I only hope that we as a country have woken up to the point where we can recognize that more division is the absolute last thing we need right now, and that there is simply no room to be making empty statements and threats in the shadow of national trauma just for the sake of political gain.

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