The Man Who Should Be President

We have fucked up in the past, and we'll fuck up again. But I don't think we've ever fucked up like we did in November 2000.

The Man Who Should Have Been President spoke today, and spoke with a candor that is perhaps easy for one out of office but nonetheless welcome for its forthrightness.

"We simply cannot afford to further increase the risk to our country with more blunders by this team. Donald Rumsfeld, as the chief architect of the war plan, should resign today. His deputies Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith and his intelligence chief Stephen Cambone should also resign. The nation is especially at risk every single day that Rumsfeld remains as Secretary of Defense.

"Condoleeza Rice, who has badly mishandled the coordination of national security policy, should also resign immediately.

"George Tenet should also resign. I want to offer a special word about George Tenet, because he is a personal friend and I know him to be a good and decent man. It is especially painful to call for his resignation, but I have regretfully concluded that it is extremely important that our country have new leadership at the CIA immediately."

Where are the calls in Congress for the heads of Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and Feith? And after all of the intelligence and foreign policy failures, why do Tenet and Rice still have the President's ear?

There was a poignancy to Gore's closing remarks. I was no Gore fan in 2000, and admit with some pain to having voted for Nader. But Al Gore speaks for me now, and I think he should know that.

"In December of 2000, even though I strongly disagreed with the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to order a halt to the counting of legally cast ballots, I saw it as my duty to reaffirm my own strong belief that we are a nation of laws and not only accept the decision, but do what I could to prevent efforts to delegitimize George Bush as he took the oath of office as president.

"I did not at that moment imagine that Bush would, in the presidency that ensued, demonstrate utter contempt for the rule of law and work at every turn to frustrate accountability...

"So today, I want to speak on behalf of those Americans who feel that President Bush has betrayed our nation's trust, those who are horrified at what has been done in our name, and all those who want the rest of the world to know that we Americans see the abuses that occurred in the prisons of Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo and secret locations as yet undisclosed as completely out of keeping with the character and basic nature of the American people and at odds with the principles on which America stands.

"I believe we have a duty to hold President Bush accountable - and I believe we will. As Lincoln said at our time of greatest trial, "We - even we here - hold the power, and bear the responsibility."

Godspeed, Mr. Gore.