Media's *Artful Dodger* Admiration of * Won't Wash in Torture Scandal

[stopbush]

In the past, * has walked away unscathed from scandals that would have toppled other governments. It's not that the prior scandals haven't been outrageous and heinous, it's that the American media has been actively covering *'s ass by burying every prior story...or ignoring it. From the Energy Scandal, to ignoring warnings on 9/11, to the fake war on terror, to the disastrous economy, to the Plame affair etc etc - you name it, the media as a whole made a MAJOR effort to clear * of blame, exonerate him and move quickly on to the next human interest story meant to distract the intellectually challenged American public.

Central to the media's portrayal in all this has been the theme of the *artful dodger*; the wink and a nod from the media that reveals the truth of the matter: "we know and you know that what * is doing is deceitful and wrong...but we admire the fact that he somehow seems to slip out of every noose to emerge unsullied and unbroken. You see, it's the GAME that we play here in DC. Play it well (with our help), and we will love you. Buck the system (or threaten us, à la Howard Dean), and we will take you down in no uncertain terms."

Not this time.

And for a very simple reason: the WORLD is outraged because THIS scandal effects America's standing in the world in a way that Americo-central scandals like Cheney's energy gouging, Plame's outing and the rest have not.

America's moral deficit - hidden for so long behind a micro-thin layer of pseudo-religious faith, mile-deep smugness and an unshakable belief that American might makes moral right - has been exposed to the world; exposed through *government sanctioned* actions that have spoken with a volume that overwhelms the usual self-righteous rhetoric, not to mention the mind-numbing spin that always accompanies such rhetoric.

The damage done to our military, to our economy and to our moral and *legal* standing in the world by bushco will take decades to repair. In fact, the damage may be unfix-able in our lifetimes (I know that sounds extreme, but if so, it's an extreme feeling born of *'s extreme actions and policies).

To paraphrase our national idiot, the sad truth is that the world is now against us, not for us.

More's the shame...