An Other George

Monday night, I didn’t watch the State of the Union, either. And the media gave it pretty short shrift after. Segue right into the Florida primary, gang. Let’s see, what did I learn? Chris Shays loves him some Bush-cheek. The hyper-partisan Republican minority stayed true to their school. While everybody else just wanted George W. Bush’s last S.O.T.U. to be O.V.E.R. ... I'm betting Dubya did, too.

And then there’s another George. If you didn’t see the 60 Minutes feature interview with FBI field agent George Piro, check it out now. Piro’s months-long interrogation and gaining the trust of Saddam Hussein is, according to an FBI spokesman, the agency at its finest. And not a waterboard in sight.

I’d say it’s “George” at its finest, too. For seven long years, “George” has been in disrepute. A fork-tongued spokesman for the evils of gummit, callously orchestrating his ideologue minions to infiltrate and tear down the very agencies tasked to keep us safe. From agencies like the FBI and the CIA where Valerie Plame worked until exposed, to FEMA-botching post-Katrina thanks to Bush’s heckuva job, George Bush’s War on the Government-Which-is-US has steamrolled along for seven years now, virtually unchecked.

And at what cost?

The exposure and loss of the skills of workers like Valerie Plame. Even appointed DOJ lawyers who were headed out until the full measure of that scandal could no longer be hidden. The outflight of flight controllers. The lower and lower standards for military recruitment. The calculus of devastation to every segment of this government in furtherance of incompetent ideologues is daunting.

In a word, the State of the Union sucks.

But it will get better. Because there are candidates on the horizon who will lead us on a better course.

And because there are people like George Piro and the Wilsons and Sibel Edmonds, whose story is not yet told. And they work for us, each and every day, without expectation of reward or stock options or aggrandizement or insider cocktail parties.

But because they love this country.

And because we, the people love this country, we will pick up the pieces next January and put America back together again.

But first, come November, we will vote.