Thank goodness

President Bush Commutes Libby's Sentence

And fuck the Huffington Post and Democrats in Washington for their bloodlust in this case.

I can't stomach this godforesaken political era anymore. Is cynicism and revenge the only prevailing values in Washington and America these days?

And if so, why in the world would Washington and America think that they have earned the right to lead the world? And why would Washington believe that Americans would or should look to Washington for leadership?

Perhaps our lust for power has so blinded us to decency that we can't tell the difference anymore.

One thing is for sure. Cynicism does not grow anything. So eventually Americans and the world will have to look to where they can find ideas with which they can lead their lives as they discover that they cannot count on Washington to lead their lives.

Thankfully, there are too many signs that they are looking beyond Washington to lead their own lives to ignore. Those close to power may miss those signs in their efforts to rationalize it. But its pretty clear that this last gasp for force and power to rationalize itself as decency and better ideas for living will not outlive the next generation.

The great part about working with young people is having an ear to how they think about the world. And one thing is for sure: force will not be the governing philosophy of Americans for very long. Ideas about governing and the use of force will be necessary. But force as a blunt tool has lost much serious support among average people, in my experience, especially young people, during this period. Which is to their credit. George Orwell would be proud.

And the most hopeful fact that arises out of that trend is that people may then begin to try to do what they have needed to do all along: to lead their own lives, independently and together, without looking to Washington, government, or anyone beyond their own developing judgments and consciences, independently and together.

And that is a future that might transcend the moral and intellectual bankrupcy of power and its obsession in Washington D.C., which this convinction was a function of much more than anything good or decent.

We can only hope that it signals a better, more honest and genuine liberal democratic future for America. But, in the meantime, it means something almost as meaningful. It means that a decent man doesn't lose his freedom.

Love,
Ben