Yesterday I heard Attorney General Jefferson Blowregard Sessions talking on TV about honor. It struck me that I had never heard anyone talk about honor other than tiny Southern political hacks. Among actual people, honor is not a topic.
Politicians talk of honor when not a single politician in America has some. I don’t blame them. We badly need skilled politicians, and the best have probably lengthened my life by banning smoking, for example. But the nature of the political job (cutting ugly deals with corporations) and how you get the job (begging rich people for campaign cash, dumping old political friends in the rush for power) rules out honor from the start. That’s our American system. As Harry Truman said, if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.
You can trust your dog. The politician closest to honorable is the one who, once he’s been bought, stays bought.
No comments:
Post a Comment