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We opened pandora's box when Woodward and Bernstein brought down a President. Justified, every newly minted twit with a journalism degree sought to make a name for themselves by uncovering a scandal. The line of deference for personal lives was obliterated and all bets were off once Gary Hart stupidly challenged the media to "catch me if you can" relative to his own adulterous affairs.
Then along came Clinton. SCOTUS allowed a civil case to proceed against a sitting president and along came the BJ impeachment case. Stupid and boorish, it did not rise to the level of a high crime or misdemeanor as defined by the founders. Lying about one's personal sex life is not treasonous.
But onto that the Republicans lashed. They still seethe over Bill's Slick Willy. Bill decried the politics of personal destruction. The independent prosecutor law, used to gore Post Watergate republican presidents had finally gored a Democrat. Would we finally give it up?
And now it's the Democrats' turn to take government further into the toilet. Rather than attack a single person, its expanded to attacking the very legitimacy of the entire system. Ballots are not perfect. That some states hover in a slight margin of error range is not a conspiracy. It's the human error of elderly people counting ballots as a sort of social event and losing track. It's folks hitting the wrong button.
Bush stole the election in '00 and now it's '04. It's as idiotic as rabid righties still raging on about Clinton's blow job. It sacrifices the entire foundation of our democratic system for partisan gain.
Say what you want about Dick Nixon, but he knew to simply let this shit go in 1960. He put country ahead of his personal aspirations.
You know it's a sad state of affairs when you long for a day when our partisan leaders will rise to the level of Dick Nixon in terms of conduct and demeanor.
Just let it go, for chrissakes.
