Rules of Engagement

Josh Marshall, over at TalkingPointsMemo, recently bemoaned the fact that Congressional Quarterly bemoaned the lack of Republicans in the newly formed Obama administration.  Marshall pointed out that Obama is perhaps the most progressive ever in the lengths he has gone to choose people not firmly aligned with his own party, and I would like to expand upon why it seems that Republicans are incessantly critical and unsatisfied, even before Obama has taken office.  They are the baddies.

The Republican leadership over Bush's term in office has solidified its role as the bad guys, the rule breakers, and the cry babies.  They are known as liars and cheaters.  All of America and the world now know that the basis for the Iraq invasion was cooked up and was sold to the American people as a greasy used car salesperson sells a lemon to a naive, first-time car buyer.  If a news story broke tomorrow that *gasp*, Republicans lied, would anyone be shocked?  Therefore, they needn't follow any rules.

Progressives and liberals, on the other hand, have been trying to call out Republicans left and right for these indiscretions and have set themselves up as guardians of the constitution and fair play.  The problem is the Republicans are willing to hold Democrats to the Democrats' rules, all the while disregarding the rules themselves, because, hey, it wasn't as if they agreed to any rules.  If I can use a boxing metaphor, it's as if the man in the red trunks is simultaneously pounding the man in the blue trucks squarely in the groin all the while calling foul when the man in the blue trunks lands a punch that even grazes his belt line.  We saw this in the election: McCain and Palin would unapologetically insinuate Obama was a terrorist (or friend of), yet demanding Obama apologize for what was being said about McCain by people outside the Obama campaign.

So, after being trounced at every level in the election, Republicans are screaming foul as a means of maintaining some grip on power after the electorate clearly said, "No!"  After all, they are the baddies.  I would wager there are many in the Republican Party hoping and praying that the Obama years will be disastrous, which would equal them praying for America to further its downward spiral, all so they can reclaim power in four years.  Does that sound far-fetched to you?  Probably not.  They are the baddies.