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McCarthy era and Watergate? The McCarthy "era" was started by a paranoid acute alcoholic who wanted an issue to gin up his campaign in Wisconsin for the U.S. Senate, so he claimed to have the names of "200 known communists" in the State Department. After a long and costly investigation it was revealed that he had nothing, just the delusional rantings of advanced alcoholism. The President, Eisenhower, was opposed to McCarthy and never supported McCarthy's wild ravings. The only reason McCarthy lasted as long as he did was because of the fear of Communism and the constant harping on that fear by the news media. Everyone was afraid of being called a traitor or disloyal. That was the "McCarthy Era".
Watergate was a case of Political Paranoia generated by the chief paranoiac himself Richard Nixon. He was on the threshold of one of the greatest election victories of all time and his paranoia moved him to the stupidity of a two bit burglary of Democratic Headquarters. The sloppy coverup that followed was the real political crime of Watergate.
Lumping 'McCarthy Era' and 'Watergate' together and comparing it to some vague abuse by the Bush Administration is sloppy work. Whatever machinations of an evil nature that may have occured can be laid at the door of the paranoid Dick Cheney.
Trying to paint the Government as a monolithic entity of evil is childish oversimplification. There may be a small group of committed zealots who populate some departments but their numbers are overwhelmed by other people in those same Depatments that are decent loyal Americans. If you want a real investigation find out how much money has been stolen by Cheney's cronies, Haliburton and the others, it is about the money and the Oil. The invasion of Iraq, all the death and destruction was motivated by money and oil, greed the simplest of human evil. Do not be mis-led by the Phantom of the NSA or some other boogey man, the culprit resides behind the door marked Vice President.
