Watching Crossfire and some other "argument" shows this afternoon — you know, the kind of programming that didn't exist before Phil Donahue — I was struck by this thought: Is anybody buying this?
I mean this kind of sudden role-reversal…Democrats talking like Republicans did just a few years ago and vice-versa. Not so long ago, every time some investigation failed to indict Bill or Hillary, the G.O.P. response was (a) the investigation was incomplete, (b) the investigation was a whitewash and/or (c) just because the inquisitors couldn't find a prosecutable violation of law, it absolutely did not mean that no crime had been committed. Did you ever hear one Clinton foe ever say, "Well, I guess this charge was unfounded"? Me, neither…and, of course, Democrats said what you'd expect them to say — usually, some kind of mealy-mouthed, keep-your-distance defense.
Now, the exact same Repubs who insisted that Whitewater, Vince Foster and other "scandals" be investigated over and over are insisting that Bush's stock dealings are "old news," that it's all been fully-investigated and that he's been exonerated. And Democrats are arguing (a), (b) and/or (c).
We all understand about "spin" and about trying to sell your interpretation of a given event. That doesn't even bother me anymore. But now we're down to "spin" as a means of denial. Every single politician and pundit saying "Bush was cleared" knows full well it was a thin inquiry performed largely by folks whose careers depended on his family. They also know there will be more of these supposed scandals coming as Democrats and reporters delve into other Bush business practices, to say nothing of Mr. Cheney and other cabinet officials. They're saying "It's old news" because they don't like the new news and are afraid of it.
I don't know if Bush and his gang did break any laws. It would not surprise me if the laws of the land have been skewed to be so pro-business that the C.E.O. of a failing company could cook the books and reap millions without breaking any statutes — an outrage for which I would blame both Democrats and Republicans. But I do know that everyone's saying, not what they believe but what they hope will work to their political advantage. And I also know that no one's buying it. No one.