The Conscience of the King

As for me, when I think of what our
government could have done for the Katrina-affected areas of this country, and

the thousands of dead and wounded Americans in Iraq, my mind turns to Hamlet. "Foul
deeds will rise, Though all the earth o'erwhelm them, to men's eyes."

This week marks the one year anniversary of Katrina's landfall at New
Orleans.  One of my friends and his
family, along with thousands of others, lost everything they had when the levees
broke.  A year ago the President flew over
New Orleans on his way to Crawford and looked out the window of Air Force One
and saw the damage that was done to these lives.  Nevertheless, he refused to cut his 5-week
vacation short until a staffer showed him a DVD of the news coverage.  Only then did he take action, visiting the
scene and telling the head of FEMA that he was "doin' a heck of a job."  Bush just could not face the truth that his
government's inept action had made things worse. This week, Bush again visited
New Orleans and he still can not face the truth.  When asked if Americans had sacrificed
enough, he said that "Americans are sacrificing-we pay a lot of taxes."  He gave lip-service to rebuilding the area,
but offered no new money.

Maureen Dowd, commenting on the Katrina anniversary and the U.S. war in
Iraq, offered an interesting observation about the President's summer reading.
Noting that Bush has recently read Hamlet, she wrote, " What could be more
fitting?  A prince who dithers instead of
acting and then acts precipitously at the wrong moment, not paying attention
when someone vulnerable drowns."  As
Shakespeare wrote, "the plays the thing in which we catch the conscience
of the king."  Bush must know that
he has made terrific blunders, but unlike Hamlet, who was basically honest
about his failings, Bush refuses to look them square in the eye.

This lack of truthfulness is a pattern with the Bush
administration.  One need only think of
Colin Powell's visit to the UN, the fact that the Abu Ghraib atrocities were
kept under wraps for months before the story broke, or the administration's
insistence that things are going well in Iraq to see that they not only try to
spin the story, but they actually lie about it.

Maybe instead of
reading Hamlet,  the President should
read some liberal theology.  How about
some Moltmann or at least some Neibuhr, Mr. President?  Perhaps these thinkers could teach you about
the suffering God, the need for social justice, or the power of truth telling?  As for me, when I think of what our
government could have done for the Katrina-affected areas of this country, and
the thousands of dead and wounded Americans in Iraq, my mind turns to Hamlet. "Foul
deeds will rise, Though all the earth o'erwhelm them, to men's eyes."
Hamlet, 1. 2