Trust, honesty, Integrity, courage, decency, and the principle of fairness
Are all values I try to pursue in my daily life and look for in others whom I am close to. Unfortunately, suspicion, lying, opportunism, cowardice, ambition, and a vicious streak are the values that will get you ahead in the world my elders created. (Hey, I'm part of Generation X, after all.) Why the hell would I expect anything more from the president of the United States?
Let's start with the demagogic Indian murderer Andrew Jackson, who perfected demogagic American mass politics and party machines. Let's go on to Teddy Roosevelt, a creation of William Randolph Hearst, who allowed the lie that he was a war hero to be perpetuated in order that he could win the presidency. Even Roosevelt lied about his illness in order to assure his reelection. Eisenhower--he seems like a man of integrity--but he waited until after he was out of office to warn the country about what he felt was its gravest danger--the military industrial complex. That's cowardice: "I'm not going to let my true beliefs get in the way of my presidency." Kennedy stole the election, I think we can all agree, and was buddies with the mob and turned the White House into a brothel. Johnson--liar and war criminal--the indiscriminate carpet bombing of North Vietnam and suckering the country into war via the Gulf of Tonkin incident. Nixon--oh God, poor Richard Millhouse. A man consumed by vanity, opportunism and power lust till the end....
So now we come to Clinton. And I'm all of a sudden supposed to muster up some outrage over this man's lying about an affair under oath? It sounds like an episode of Three's Company for God's sake! I'm far more upset by his spinelessness in other areas.
But yes, I sense you've got me right, I believe in my friends, my family, I believe in you, Michael, and all Americans. I don't, however, believe in some mythological conception of America's virtue or the sanctity of the presidency.
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