Change

We will hear from our friends and acquaintances over the next four days—let us fervently hope not the next ten months—endless variations on the theme that George Bush has been a disaster and yet two of his main enablers are the solution to it.

On Iraq: Hillary Clinton is indistinguishable from GWB on the war except possibly insofar as she might have been less incompetent at managing it. Bill never criticized the conquest while it was gestating, despite his baldfaced lie to the contrary. When Bush made the silly statement a week ago that al-Qaeda is ‘on the run’ in Iraq at the State of the Union address, HC lept to her feet to applaud. The Clintons are hawks in sheep’s clothing, and it is impossible to both support them and think that the conquest of Iraq was a catastrophic and sinful act. The two do not go together.

On gender: I refer to the Clintons in the plural because it is obvious that they are preparing us for a co-presidency. Depending on how that dubious experiment plays out, Hillary’s election could easily be a setback for the status of women in this country.

On domestic policy: the Democratic centrists represented by the Clintons have done nothing to reverse any of the unhealthy trends in the nation’s economy. Even the radical infusion of the Christian religion into the public sphere barely registers on their radar—witness the bribery offered to the Republicans with more ‘abstinence-only’ funding for schools. They stood by while Bush appointed more reactionary justices to the Supreme Court. The list is endless.

If this pair is swept into the nomination on Tuesday, it means that for all their moaning and head-shaking, the Democratic-leaning half of the country is not really all that bothered by the direction W has taken us during his eight miserable years. They may also be surprised to discover that when offered the choice in November between two Republicans, voters opt for a Republican.