LURKING IN THE SHADOWS

There are those who feel some sympathy for Dubya.

Matt Taibbi, for example, in his funny and sad article in Rolling Stone, describes Bush as "desperate" to fulfill expectations of "emotionally absent" parents, and lets Bush end a fictional interview by saying, "I really am sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

My aunt, a lifelong Democrat and ardent Hilary supporter, said Bush was pathetic in his final press conference, that he just didn't seem to understand what people were saying about him.

I don't agree.

Bush and his administration are war criminals and thieves, shameless liars and contemptible hypocrites. They deserve to be tried for war crimes by an Iraqi jury - one chosen from outside Baghdad, miles away from the Green Zone. I have no sympathy for them. They are traitors to my country, enemies of the People of These United States.

But they're not failures.

Their goal, from the beginning, was to expand Presidential powers to seek their own ends. They waited until the warnings of a terrorist attack came true, they created wars and a wartime environment to stifle dissent, and they ran rampant through eight years of unchecked power.

Their goal, from the beginning, was to subvert the powers of government to benefit their private sector allies. They created a foreign policy in Iraq designed for the benefit of the oil industry, with more private contractors on the ground than soldiers. Do you remember the Declaration of Principles Agreement promulgated by the White House in November 2007? Permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq and preferential treatment for U.S. corporations. That's what it was all about from the beginning. That War On Terror thing? Pure propaganda for the gullible and the unwary. Pipsqueak Iraq was never a threat to the U.S., and the scheming, secular Hussein was never connected to any Islamic fundamentalist group, especially Al-Qaeda.

Their goal, from the beginning, was to protect the oil, gas, and coal industries from any actions to stem global warming. Done. Their goal, from the beginning, was to eviscerate government regulation of the financial industry. Done. Their goal, from the beginning, was to cripple enforcement of any environmental regulations. Done. Their goal, from the beginning, was to reward their backers with irresponsible tax cuts. Done.

Don't call these guys failures. They are spectacularly successful traitors and thieves. They are only failures if you consider that they intended to govern this country with honor and patriotism. Did you really believe that? You are an idiot.

The danger now is that the shady characters who distorted the media and perverted the political process to put these guys into power won't be going away on January 20. They've done pretty well for themselves during these eight years of corruption. And they want that power back.

We won a tremendous victory for our democracy and our nation's future by electing Barack Obama. But don't kid yourself. Bush, the tongue-tied fool, and Cheney, the delusional paranoid, were not the whole problem. The danger now is that the darkest monsters were the ones pulling the strings, manipulating public opinion, insinuating themselves into our government. They're still out there: unrepentant, ravenous, greedy for more.

Keep your eyes open. For there are still dangerous beasts lurking in the shadows.