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The Demise of Accountability
The Demise of Accountability
An old episode of “The Simpsons” features Bart enjoying a short period of fame simply by saying “I didn’t do it” after causing a small disaster at the local TV station. Funny stuff, at least until you notice how this attitude has permeated our politics to the point where no one seems accountable for their actions. How did we get from “Mea Culpa” to “I didn’t do it?” It was easy, just like eating an elephant; One bite at a time. But now that elephant is gone and we need to put a halt to the feast. We really cannot afford it.
Accountability is really a simple concept; quite separate from the consequences of your actions. If you did it, you own up to it! Most people, even children know this instinctively. Sadly, that ethic seems long dead in light of the actions of recent presidential administrations as well as local and state governments. Nowadays it’s easier to find Waldo than a politician who will admit to being responsible for anything that doesn’t make him look good. The pressure to cut corners with the truth overwhelms basic integrity and it implodes like a submarine that dives too deep.
For some presidents, accountability doesn’t come by choice. Lyndon Johnson, dogged by the Vietnam War prudently opted not to seek a second term and Richard Nixon wisely resigned rather than face impeachment for the Watergate cover-up. But impeachment wasn’t equally feared by all presidents. Bill Clinton had no such fear of impeachment and dared the Republicans to try it. They tried it, and he was impeached.
In a great example of accountability overkill you have Jimmy Carter confessing to Playboy magazine that he had “lusted in his heart” for other women, although, as it turned out, most Americans couldn’t care less about his imaginary lust. This public apathy was not uniform, however, as demonstrated later in their response to the very real Clinton-Lewinsky scandal.
Ronald Reagan surprisingly escaped accountability over the Iran-Contra affair with what can be argued was the most unique way of avoiding blame in history. Essentially citing wishful thinking as his defense, in March of 1987 Reagan said, “A few months ago I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions still tell me that is true, but the facts and the evidence tell me it is not."
In light of the recent past, can we expect present or future politicians to be accountable for anything they do? Don’t count on it. After 9/11, fingers were being pointed at the FBI and CIA for incompetence and mishandling of potentially critical data. The CIA took heavy shelling for intelligence failures, both for 9/11 and the unproven claims of Iraq’s possession of WMD. However, when CIA Director George Tenet resigned under that considerable cloud, President Bush inexplicably handed Tenet the President’s Medal of Freedom, the highest award a civilian can get.
Then there’s Brownie. After catching the lion’s share of well-deserved flak over FEMA’s handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, Director Michael Brown was relieved of his duties overseeing the agency’s disaster relief efforts. This came just 10 days after The President praised him with, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." In the year after Katrina it seems apparent that somebody wasn’t doing a “heck of a job” but it is unlikely we will see anyone truly accept responsibility. To this day we see all the responsible parties either blaming each other or lamely agreeing that they ALL were at fault for dropping the ball.
Of course, not all who possess a talent for blame avoidance live in Washington. Remember former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevy? In August of 2004, McGreevy announced his resignation amid allegations of misconduct and abuse of power. But the only thing most people remember is the part about him having an adulterous homosexual affair. As we have seen in the Clinton affair, this minor bombshell doesn’t mean instant political death. It’s even possible McGreevy could have easily finished his term, which made this a peculiar reason to abruptly resign the governorship of the ninth most populous state in the nation. However, knowledgeable observers have speculated that the Governor had a far worse fate in store for him should he hang around.
Lying simply for the sake of expediency is an easy way to avoid accountability but a lousy way to conduct the affairs of this country. The problem is that it works far too well to be ignored in modern politics. But there is a negative, cumulative effect which shows itself as the growing cynicism of the electorate. Will the time come where we see a virtual rebirth of honesty in America? Will those in power realize the destructive nature of paying lip service to the old-fashioned reality that once trust is lost it is awfully hard to regain? It seems doubtful as long as the liars keep inexplicably holding on to the public trust by getting away with the “inoperative” statements and as long as people continue to be comfortable being blind, deaf and very, very dumb.
So how about it? Bart Simpson in ’08?
(copyright 2007 J. Smith)
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Not a day goes by that I don't see something that reinforces my belief that people are idiots.
Last edited by Scribbler1; 05-15-2007 at 11:24 PM.
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