Mr. President -- Sean Hannity

I certainly don’t expect you to click on this video and watch it. I’d prefer that you not. I just want you to see the image and I’d prefer that you use the time to reflect on what it represents.



I saw just a glimpse of the video on The Daily Show last night and it hit me in the head like a hammer. I didn’t hear anything else Jon Stewart said for the next 5 minutes. The President of the United States of America -- and everything that office stands for -- walking around the White House with Sean Hannity.

I’m pretty sure most Americans understand all this. But think about my overseas readers. How do we explain to the rest of the world that the supposed leader of the Free World -- the man in charge of two active wars and charged with responding to a world economic crisis that began in our country -- makes time in his schedule to deal with the likes of Sean Hannity ?

The symbolism alone is reprehensible. The elevation in stature it provides Mr. Hannity is obscene. The fact that the President -- and all those responsible for protecting him and the Office -- would make time for such a wretched, loathsome, second-rate demagogue is viciously vile. It’s...it’s...words fail me.

It’s hard to avoid thinking the unthinkable -- our system of government completely and utterly failed. We elected a fool (not once but twice) and our vaunted system of checks and balances did virtually nothing to save us. America failed. Americans failed.

May God forgive us. I’m not sure the rest of the world should.

(Added at the last minute: Dan Frromkin’s devastating short summation of the Bush Presidency.)

Don Brown
January 14, 2009