WHERE IS OUR GOVERNMENT?

The Rev. Dana Prom Smith, S.T.D., Ph.D. (5/23/08)

Mayor Joe Donaldson has said that he’s not going to turn his back on Representative Rick Renzi. There’s a lot to be said for loyalty. Well and good, so perhaps he can tell us where he is since he hasn’t turned his back on him. Rick seems to have disappeared which is unusual for an innocent man who’s been unjustly accused of having an “itchy palm.”

He claimed he’d hired an attorney to handle his case so that he would be free to serve the people. But how can a congressman serve the people in absentia? Perhaps, by having clandestine meetings with shady characters for land swaps.

And then there’s President Bush. Where’s he been? Well, off begging for oil from his pals in Saudi Arabia who, its turns out, aren’t his pals after all. They can’t even spare a dime for a pal in need. He might try the Russians or Iranians. He’s certainly not getting extra oil from the Iraqis after 3,990 American dead and 3 trillion dollars. He’s said that he sacrifices for his war effort by not playing golf. Is this guy serious? No, he isn’t. He’s a tragic joke. He’s not connected with the real world.

There’s an advantage to politicians in absentia whether they're in hiding or goofing off. They can’t do any harm, a point John McCain made with his claim that only veterans have a right to propose foreign and military policies which would eliminate George W. Bush and Richard Cheney who thought up the war he supports.