Good Things that Happened in 2005

The year 2005   was a pretty depressing one overall. A quagmire in Iraq; a hurricane-created quagmire in New Orleans; a government seemingly unable to do much about either, except give press conferences.  Jobs disappearing; interest rates rising; the middle class having a harder and harder time of it. FEMA, led by a president spending his time telling incompetent department heads what a wonderful they are doing.   All in all it seems like the worst of times for America.   It seems the news was all bad. 

So it's  worthwhile, as we go into 2006 to stop for a moment,   step back and take another look at 2005 and check out a few good things that happened last year. 

Let me count 'em.   

(1) Tom Delay got himself indicted for money-laundering.  Couldn't happen to a more deserving person. 

(2) Mr Bush’s plan to privatize Social Security sank into a well-deserved oblivion.  Hope it stays there. 

(3) Jack Abramoff, big-time Washington lobbyist and influence peddler extraordinaire , found himself under investigation for a variety of shady deals. In 2006 there’s every reason to think that he will sing to the authorities to save his own skin, and in the process, bring down some more  GOP politicians;--always a welcome event.

(4) The religious right, with the help of the Congress managed to get itself discredited (and hopefully derailed) for its arrogant interference in a state guardianship proceeding involving a brain-dead woman by the name of Terri Schiavo. Her husband (and guardian) wanted to end her life; her family did not. That’s when the religious right got together with the likes of Tom Delay and Bill Frist to  ignore the Constitution and interfere in a state proceeding in order to overturn the decisions of the local courts. Fortunately Delay and Frist were defeated in their little coup d'etat against the state courts  and power of the religious right was pushed back a notch or two.  A great outcome.

(5)  Columnist Robert Novak outed Valarie Plame as a CIA agent. Why he did this is not clear, but in doing so he caused:

(a) Presidential advisor Lewis "Scooter" Libby’s indictment for obstruction of justice.   [A bonus: Libby will no doubt sing to protect his own rear.  Which is sure to give pause to at least some GOP politicians.]

(b)   Novak also caused boy genius Karl Rove to lose whatever credibility he’s had concerning just about anything Rove every said or did concerning the president.

So maybe 2005  wasn't the worst of times after all.

Punditwalla--