The rise of the Rove Reich

Politics is the art of destroying one’s enemies and rewarding one’s friends. By this standard, the Bush regime is the most capable administration in American history. Bush and his fellows have shown time and again that they have sharp elbows and can be cold-blooded political street fighters.

The “Swift-boating” of John Kerry, Dan Rather and Joseph Wilson are just a few of the more familiar examples. Each was singled out as a potential rival by high-ranking members of the administration and summarily drawn-and-quartered by assassins in the far-right media.

The unexpected sacking of eight US attorneys is another example of the administration’s astonishing proficiency at destroying its enemies, although the attorneys in question were not the “real targets” per se. The purpose of the firings was to use the justice system to conduct personal attacks on members of the Democratic leadership, either by indicting them prior to elections or challenging the results of recent balloting. The intention was to strengthen the “one party” system of Karl Rove’s dreams.

This, of course, is a much more serious charge than “outing” a CIA agent (Valerie Plame) or slandering a decorated veteran. (John Kerry) It is a direct attack on the two-party system and the foundations of democratic government