The Four Year Itch

Every 4 years or so the American people allow themselves to be duped into the belief their vote for President matters.

It's Election Insanity!

As Howard Zinn writes,

This seizes the country every four years because we have all been brought up to believe that voting is crucial in determining our destiny, that the most important act a citizen can engage in is to go to the polls and choose one of the two mediocrities who have already been chosen for us. It is a multiple choice test so narrow, so specious, that no self-respecting teacher would give it to students.

Well Dana Perino, with her bubbly "Like OMG, I am so a Valley Girl!" personality slipped up with a terse response to Helen Thomas.

Dana Perino: You had input. The American people have input every four years, and that’s the way our system is set up.

Bush was elected and Americans once you've chosen the President you need to shut up and take whatever he does right on the chin, let's leave aside that only 1/5th of Americans voted fro Bush in 2004. Every choice he makes is backed with the LEGITMACY of the DEMOCRATIC PROCESS;

Torture? Check, Bush won in 2004
Signing statements to ignore any law he doesn't like? Check, Bush won in 2004.
The Surge in Iraq in 2007? Check, Bush won in 2004.
And now forces to remain around 140,000 in Iraq throughout 2008? check, Bush won in 2004.
Enduring (not permanent) Bases in Iraq? Check, Bush won in 2004.
Government bailouts of Rampant money speculators? Check, Bush won in 2004.

And on and on and on....

The Argument from Authority has morphed from the Divine Right of Kings to the Divine Right of those Democratically elected. Dictators love elections. It coats their misdeeds in a thin panacea of righteousness. After all in October 2002, Saddam was re-elected with 100% of the vote.

So, I now have to rescind my previous indignation at Co-President Cheney's nuanced SO? and realzie he was elected , whatever he says goes...