The U.S. Ministry of Propaganda

I can't recall whether I've written about this before. I'm pretty sure I didn't, because I became aware of the story in the midst of some other flurry of posts (Katrina, perhaps, or earlier stuff on the Plame/Rove/Libby story).

But now the U.S. Government Accountability Office (G.A.O.) has weighed in, finding that the regular release of government-written articles as "news" violates the law, according to a New York Times article.

But here's one of the really frustrating things about our government: Although we have laws to prevent certain behaviors, we don't really have any punishments in place, and often it's the honor system.

In this particular case, the G.A.O. has the responsibility of issuing this finding, but has no power to impart penalties. Their responsibility, and their authority, end with providing the report to... the White House and Congress, the people responsible for the crimes in the first place.

Why do I not think anything will come of this? It's flagrantly illegal, but who cares? As seems so often to be the case lately, those in charge of enforcing the rules are those who are breaking them, or at least their close friends.

Congressional oversight of the President? Don't make me laugh, the majority of this Congress has it's collective nose so far up the Presidential posterior that the tip of said proboscis has distinct marks of digestion. And while the courts are set up to oversee Congress, that’s being attacked on two fronts. First, by nominating activist arch-conservative judges (and then throwing a “nuclear option” tantrum when even a very small minority of them are blocked), and second by arguing that the courts are inherently overstepping their bounds and must be curtailed back until they have almost no power over Congress.

Pay attention, folks. When the people who are at the heart of an argument against regulatory powers are those who stand to gain the most freedom by being out from under regulation, you have to pause and think. You really have to wonder why such oversight concerns them so much, if they have no intention of abusing their power.

And so once again, a story about how this Administration has broken the law and violated the independence of the news media, and given how many moral, legal and ethical lapses they’ve had, it barely even registers.

Really makes me look back fondly on the days when misbehavior in the Oval Office involved cigars and oral sex. So much for the much vaunted oath to “restore honor to the White House”.

Liam.