Sensible PlameGate

Peter Levine, in contrast to my general ranting below, sounds the sensible note on the Plame Affair.

I still hold, however, that it's not too late for outrage if that outrage can be transformed into more critically intelligent and legitimate political practices in the future. Holding this administration accountable for the bungled war but also for its near-total dishonesty would be a good step. An earlier outrage post of mine on what to do about Iraq suggested that ending the war required holding its authors accountable. I may be entirely wrong in terms of political feasibility, but I think the claim still holds (though it was made in rant-language). Peter wants government that is viewed as a noble calling so that some of the best people go into government. I agree entirely, and Peter is a tireless advocate - including in practice - of such a view. Accountability is crucial at this point, however, including in the Plame case. And not just accountability in the abstract. Good government and accountability go together at least in the constant reconstruction of government that attracts those of intelligence and noble intentions and provides an environment in which intelligence and noble intentions can flourish.

In the meantime, we have a government that continues to call its own citizens - those critical of the administration's policies - traitors. That they're able to continue to do so is clear evidence of a lack of accountability to a citizenry which is indeed now (finally) broadly critical of the administration.

As a political matter, I'm not so sure that nurturing the outrage is a bad thing for Democrats. It's true that they have not offered a strong alternative regarding what to do in Iraq (and I'm equally outraged at Democrats for this war). That is indeed a problem because we are in dire need of a way out of the morass, and "stay the course" is about as ridiculous an option as one can get. But as a political matter I'm not so sure that holding up an alternative - and any alternative is going to be controversial - for critical scrutiny at this point is a beneficial thing for the party. In the 2008 elections, there will simply have to be a strong and intelligent position on Iraq, but for now - with no good option anywhere on the table - we'll need good ideas from outside of the government and the two parties as well as a process for making sure this fiasco doesn't happen again.