Tidal party
Watching analysis of the US Congress election results on Thursday night was some of the most inspiring and hopeful television that I have seen in a damn. long. time.
Seeing George Bush so visibly shaken (”we got a thumping … I thought we were going to romp home!”), Donald Rumsfeld walking off the stage after HIS FINAL ADDRESS AS SECRETERROR OF DEFENCE, first lady speaker of the house from beautiful politics city San Francisco Nancy Pelosi referring to US troops in Iraq as “an occupation”, the high voter turnout, the continuous reporting of a “landslide” away from the Republicans….I was so.damn.moved.
When my folks were in town last weekend we were talking a lot about what dark times we live in (item: Mum and Dad are pro Bono. I am not). Mum suggested that it’s like when things just get worse and worse and worse and then suddenly the tide turns - the tide will turn away from the brink of infinite war in Iraq and the decimation of democratic processes and international human rights mechanisms, so we’ve at least got something to frickin’ work with again. The US Congress result and its ramifications feels like something along those lines, and even sooner than Mum might have meant (though she *is* known for her prophetic abilities, this is something far bigger than knowing I would not fail Year 12).
What would it take for a similar tide turning in Australia? Did this happen in the US because they see the body bags come home and Katrina happened in their backyard? Or could Australians be compelled to a similar action despite our relative distance from the atrocities of the global Bush coalition? Could I be getting fall-down, slur-my-words, wet-my-pants drunk at the next election night party because the Howard bastards *didn’t* win?*
At any rate, please Ms Universe can you ensure that Bush is impeached by Congress and he, Rumsfeld, Cheney and Rice are tried for crimes against humanity kthxbye.
I would be a little cautious about the US election result. although it’s been good to see people like Senator Carl Levin get up and demand immediate troop withdrawl, the current conjuncture in US politics is not unalloyed joy for the liberal-left. We’re still a long way away from a position where troops *will* be withdrawn. The center still is pushing for a victory in Iraq. Maybe we’re at 1969 in Vietnam
– I’d say *escalation* is just as likely as getting out. All that has happened is that “stay the course” is no longer credible as a US strategy.
The election happened because the Bush Administration was unable to acknowledge that the war is going badly, or seem flexible at all. It was also about how many US congressman were being investigated for corruption; the Mark Foley affair, the Repub. dude who strangled his wife, the many who did shady land deals. Katrina wasn’t even mentioned by the Democrats in the campaign. For every withdrawl Dem there’s a Joe Lieberman, a Repub in disguise, who’s a hawk on Iraq. Oh and Nancy Pelosi says that impeachment is “off the table”.
There’s a cloud above every silver lining…
Comment by charles — 11/16/2006 @ 11:50 pm
NO!!!! EVERYTHING IS GOOD AND HAPPY NOW. DAMNIT!!
;-)
Comment by ann — 11/17/2006 @ 1:47 pm
U2 were awesome. The Edge is the Zen Master of the guitar; Adam is the first of his kind as bass player; Larry is only rivalled by Rob Hirst as a drummer and there are no words in my language for Bono. I was happy to breathe in the same air as them for a couple of hours. Collective action through music, power (lots of amps) and passion has always been a way through - I still get goosebumps from Peter, Paul and Mary with MLK … activism takes many forms and for my money nothing like a microphone, a few lights, some good lines and a crowd to feel the earth move.
Comment by Mo D — 11/19/2006 @ 10:51 am