Political hypocrisy

Politicians' hypocrisy isn't exactly new under the sun. To be sure, the GOP's stance that health-care reform is freaking expensive just a few years after pushing through a hugely expensive prescription-drug benefit probably tops the hypocrisy chart. (A chart Republicans practically own.) To be sure, Democrats have their failings. But at least they usually are human failings, rather than inhumane ones. For instance, Montana Senator Max Baucus is in hot water because he nominated his girl friend as one of several people for a top federal job without mentioning the relationship. As Chuck Johnson, probably Montana's most respected news guy, said in a column Sunday, that doesn't pass the smell test.

But there is no little hypocrisy in the rest of us, those of us who bitch about those very politicians. First off, we voted for them. Our bad! Second, is there any chance - even the slightest - that we'd do any better in the office? I rather doubt it. (Any more than those big brains who decided that it was necessary to put a "b" in "doubt" just because certain words in Latin had such a construction. l know a lot of grade-school kids who would like to stick a kick-ball where the sun don't shine because of that "b".

Dumb decisions abound, of course. I've made them, and so have you. If we had not, we'd all be wonderful folk. (Not to mention insufferable.) But let's be glad that a least we're not like people like (to be nonpartisan, let's name an Independent) a guy called Lieberman.

OK. So being "nonpartisan" isn't so apolitical after all. The guy manages to be insufferable and politically dumb-headed in a right-leaning way at the same time. But, still, people like you and me elected this person. (Not literally here in Montana, but ... well? would a certain ex-Alaska governor win office in this state? 'Fraid so. Let's not start patting ourselves on the back.)

Not working for the newspaper anymore, I no longer have to write judicially about Montana (or U.S.) politics. I just get to sadly shake my head. Unfortunately, it doesn't make me feel a whole lot better.