IOKIYAR Again

It seems that every day I'm shocked by new levels of Republican hypocrisy.

Darksyde did an excellent job of taking apart the hypocrisy of the GOP n the ongoing sordid saga of senior Bush advisor Claude Allen's shoplifting scandal, in which he kleptomaniacally thefted thousands of dollars worth of merchandise.  Darksyde focused, appropriately, on the hypocrisy of this "man of abstinence" who was going to help bring "moral values" to the White House, involved in this creepy and repugnant affair.

But it is in reading George Bush's reaction that the most extraordinary hyprocrisy presents itself.

Part of the AP Story on the incident is truly telling:

When I heard the story last night, I was shocked, and my first reaction was one of disappointment, deep disappointment - if it's true - that we were not fully informed," Bush said. "Shortly thereafter, I felt really sad for the Allen family."

So you feel for his family, eh, Georgie?  Somehow I don't think you felt for families of the Texas death row victims you massacred.  Or of the families of the Iraqi "insurgents" you massacred.  Or of the innocent families of the people you let die in the aftermath of Katrina.

But oh--when one of your little crony advisers goes down to a shoplifting scandal--oh then, yes then, you care for his family.  Nice work.

But that's not the worst of it by any means.  What follows is a true classic:

"If the allegations are true, Claude Allen did not tell my chief of staff and legal counsel the truth, and that's deeply disappointing" the president said at the White House following an event on Iraq. "If the allegations are true, something went wrong in Claude Allen's life, and that is really sad."  

SOMETHING WENT WRONG IN HIS LIFE?  Where's the long lecture on Responsibility, Georgie?  You almost sound like poor Mr. Allen needs welfare!

You wouldn't say that he needs rehabilitation, would you George?  Wouldn't that be SOFT ON CRIME?

Where is our Strong Father President when it comes to making an admitted shoplifter take responsibility for his actions?  Last I checked, strong fathers don't say that "Something went wrong in the life" of their children; on the contrary!  Strong Fathers make sure that the underage can be executed for their crimes--because they need to take responsibility!"

But NO.  When it comes to shoplifters under his own nose, George W. Bush's refrain is, "I blame society!"

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I would like to perform a little exercise with all of you.  Close your eyes and imagine that this were Clinton's adviser.  And that Clinton had said that "something had gone wrong in [his advisor's] life".  

Now imagine what Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter would have to say about that.

No, you know what?  Don't think about that.  The vitriol might make you throw up in your mouth.

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Yet no one calls him on it.  The media and the American public is just so used to the bald-faced pharisaical hypocrisy that something like this just slides right by, unnoticed.

The media don't do their job, the pundits on our side don't do their jobs, and our congresscritters either don't do their jobs or can't break through the media veil blackout.

It's disgusting.

IOKIYAR indeed.