I was going to write a long, chatty, cheerful post today about what a great time Gerald and I had last night at the concert Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett (of Little Feat) gave at Milestones.
And then I read this post by Brad deLong (by way of Crooked Timber), and the concert just didn't seem all that important anymore.
I have read a good bit of criticism of Howard Dean during the primary campaign, focusing on how "angry" he seems.
Well, I'm glad somebody's angry. There's an awful lot to be angry about.
Me, I'm angry that the federal deficit is increasing at the rate of over two billion dollars a day. I'm angry that our government lied to us about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in order to justify military invasion of another country (hey, the ends always justify the means, right?). I'm angry about the lack of support for education and for the environment. And those are just a few of the things I'm angry about.
And it's going to get worse, not better, if this fall's elections don't bring real change.
Just wanted to note that I'm angry too.
The Arar case is appalling. The fact the Bush administration "systematically misrepresented" its claim Iraq possessed WMDs (according to the Carnegie Endowment)is appalling. And the extremely restrained criticism of administration malfeasance and ideological delusion is appalling. This list could go on for ages.
I wonder why it is that Democrats are always expected to be gentile and accommodating. We don't expect the same from Republicans. In fact, the Repubs tend to be celebrated for their inability to make space for deliberation and democratic process.
Yes, I'm mad as hell and I won't take it anymore. If anything, Dean isn't angry enough. But at least he is angry. That's the only reasonable, rational, and patriotic response in the current political environment.