Open Thread: National Spoilage and Impressive Scandal List Edition

As the holiday season gears up for the mass-marketing hysteria known as "Christmas" and often packaged along with images of a jolly fat man in a red suit with penchant for checking lists twice, it can help to review the things people are thankful for and what kinds of things people are hopeful of.

Sometimes, such a review encounters items that overlap.

One such example would be reviewing the list of scandals that have plagued our nation's government and leadership over the past two Administrations, giving thanks that the error that gave rise to the era of corruption is drawing to an end while spurring hopes and dreams that justice, the rule of law, accountability and a restoration of the underlying bedrock of our democracy might be reconstituted in the coming year.

At this critical juncture in our history we needed an adult but got an adolescent. Instead of responsibility, we got a truant. In place of flexibility we got obduracy. In the face of great and complex challenges, we got strawmen, a black and white universe, my way or the highway, regurgitated stump speeches, and a steadfast refusal to compromise not just with opponents but with reality.

What all this comes down to is that George Bush should never have become our President. He is not just a bad President but the worst one we could have had, the worst our country has ever seen. This is a judgment that many Americans have come to but which our political establishment and media, even after 7 years, have yet to acknowledge, accept, and act on. This is the tragedy and crime of our times.

That's an excerpt from Hugh's list of Bush Scandals -- recent additions are in red. There are 396 items on it at the time of this posting.

With luck, we'll see the new Administration and the new Congress act to properly investigate and hold accountable those who have had such a fun time running rampant without any enforcement or rules, and the old fat guy with the lists of naughty and nice will be paying attention and act accordingly, but I won't hold my breath.

I hear he's been bought off by the coal industry.

This is an Open Thread.

Hat-tip gotgat54.