There are an awful lot of big news stories these days; from Iraq and Afghanistan to the banking mess and general economic woes all the way down to the little stories that often get lost as a new Administration settles in to the job of running the country. In particular, the lead story in yesterday’s New York Times about the decision to send more troops to Afghanistan was a little head spinning. We’re sending more troops, but they’re only duty is to train, but we’re also working on a strategic assessment and the whole thing is going to be reviewed at the end of the year no matter what happens. Despite all that information, the scope of the article is still very narrow; the word “NATO” only appears once and the word “Europe” or “European” not at all. And that’s just one example, from a single topic, of all the big news stories that are circulating these days. It’s enough to make even a seasoned news reader feel a little overwhelmed.
While Bush the Younger was still in power it was fairly simple to follow what our government was doing; all one needed to do was read about a topic, hear the Administration’s plan, and assume that they were fucking it up royally. You’d be correct pretty much all of the time but it required almost no thought and allowed you to get on with your day quickly. The news is now more complex for the simple reason that our leaders are now more complex. So while it’s interesting, educational and fun to debate the merits of various foreign and banking policies, government appointments and other developments, it’s also a lot more time consuming than it used to be. The knee jerk reaction and a one-size-fits-all approaches are now very much out of favor.
That said, there is one constant that can be relied upon in these new times. And that is the fact that, whatever else goes on, one can be comforted by the knowledge that the people in charge are no longer inept and ideologically opposed doing their jobs well. The following passage is from that lead story in yesterday’s Times and it all but leaps off the page:
During these discussions, Mr. Biden was the voice of caution, reminding the group members that they would have to sell their plans to a skeptical Congress.
That is an almost unfathomable reversal from the previous Vice-President. It’s just one example, but it’s illustrative of the larger issue. Fervor and stupidity are no longer prerequisites for government employment and as such the government is no longer exclusively staffed with zealots and morons (though one can safely assume that there are still plenty of both). We now have a Vice-President urging deliberative caution instead of heedless aggression; it takes some getting used to, but that doesn’t make it any less welcome.
As the wretched mismanagement of the late unpleasantness becomes ever more apparent, one is forced to conclude that the government is in very sorry shape, worse even that was generally known before January 20th of this year. Fixing that will take years. But whatever other horrible things crop up in the meantime there is comfort to be had in knowing that better people are now in charge. That isn’t a grand conclusion or a powerful insight, but it is true. And these days it is perhaps the only easy constant we have left.
