The Price of Accountability

Ari Melber:

The bipartisan immunity lobby, however, insists that route could divide the country. The image of government officials going to jail, they say, is simply unthinkable.

It is a remarkably unserious argument — as if our laws and Constitution are a distant second to the imagined trauma of watching politicos go to jail like any other lawbreaker. It is especially odd now, coming after several politicians have been prosecuted, defeated and imprisoned on corruption charges.

I agree with this, but I expect/hope that Ari knows that the "people don't want to see government officials going to jail" line is a smoke screen. The real argument of the bipartisan immunity crowd is one they won't say in public but which they will be whispering in back-rooms for months to come. It is this: if Obama makes a big deal about this stuff then a lot of interested parties will do whatever they can to stop it.

The truth is that a lot of people in Washington let this crap happen, either through deliberate intent or sheer laziness. These are the above-mentioned "interested parties". None of them want a real accounting because they know they will be hurt as well. Thus they will put a stop to it. They will tell Obama, behind the scenes, that any attempt at real accountability will be responded to with a shit storm that will destroy his Presidency (think Whitewater/Lewinsky on speed).

Yes, the country will be hurt worse by such action than it would be by true accountability. But does anyone really think these interested parties care about that? This will be the ultimate gut check for Obama. Does he let this crap slide in order to save any hope his agenda has or does he risk it all on the accountability issue?

I honestly don't know what he will do, but I won't be surprised either way.