Word has been circulating that former Enron boss Ken Lay is soon to be indicted on ... well, on charges of some sort. We're not sure what he'll be charged with, because all the reports are also saying that he didn't really know what the company he ran was doing.Is it any wonder he and George W. Bush are good friends?
As President of the United States, George W. Bush should be the most well informed person in the world. He should be constantly updated on all the many domestic and foreign events that determine American policy. His staff should make certain that he is fully briefed.
During the Watergate cover-up, Nixon's staffers tried in vain to introduce what has become known as "plausible deniability." The concept was that if the President didn't know what was happening, he couldn't be hurt by it. It didn't work, initially because nobody believed that Richard Nixon would allow staffers to engage in so many activities without his direct knowledge, and finally because the tapes he made proved it.
Since then, however, Republicans have become masters at the concept of "plausible deniability." They worked the plan brilliantly during the "Iran-Contra affair," shielding President Reagan from responsibility -- and harm -- when White House staffers were caught breaking the law.
There is no way a president who does his job could possibly have been so far out of the loop while Admiral Poindexter and Lt. Colonel North were violating U.S. and international law in the White House basement. Any boss who didn't know what was happening right under his nose was clearly so inept as to be unfit for the job. But America let Ronald Reagan get away with being either a crook or incompetent (and I'm not sure which is worse), and we are now suffering the consequences.
The consequences come via the current president, George W. Bush, who claims that he didn't know prior to the 9/11 attacks that Al Qaeda was planning a major assault on the United States. He didn't know, despite terrorism czar Richard Clarke's repeated attempts to warn him. He didn't know, despite numerous FBI and CIA reports. He didn't know, despite the fact that Al Qaeda had been linked to the bombings of American embassies in Africa and the U.S.S. Cole.
Is he ignorant, stupid or just plain crooked?
Not that it matters; America cannot afford four more years of a president who fits any of these categories. We cannot afford a president who doesn't know, or doesn't care to know, what dangers we face. We cannot afford a president who is not responsible for his administration.
We cannot afford Ken Lay.
Copyright 2004, Dan Jacoby
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