Power in Numbers

There's been a reason why I haven't posted as much, well, several reasons why.

Mostly it's because I've taken to watching this seismic shift that's unfolding before my very eyes. What shift?

Look around you. America and Americans are waking up. I, being a resigned idealist, had wanted the slumber to be over sooner of course, but the fact is, we are waking up to the fact that we're being tools, we're being saps and we're getting tired of it.

There's powers in numbers and the numbers are starting to stack up against the Bush Administration.

There's the numbers involved in Iraq. Billions spent. Hundreds of thousands wounded. Thousands killed. And those are just the numbers involving Americans. Then there's the worst number involved, that elephant in the room that is just starting to appear to people: infinite involvement.

There's the numbers involved in Katrina. Hundreds of thousands displaced, a large percentage never to return to their roots again. Billions in property damage. Minimum wage of $5.15/hour cut but restored after furious outcry. You probably can provide better numbers than I can.

There's the numbers involved in the corruption scandals. See TPM and its related site for information on that. They cover it extensively.

There's the numbers involved in George Bush's personal life. Approximately one year AWOL from the National Guard. Over 400 vacation days. Seven minutes of being dumbstruck while our nation was attacked and he was our commander in chief. Number of falls from bicycles and for that matter, number of incidents that happened while he was on his bicycle.

There's the numbers involved in the confirmation of Alito. 72 to 25 BRAVE senators. Twenty-five senators who listened to their constituents.

Lastly, the numbers in deaths and wounded. There are of course, the deaths and wounded from 9/11. And then the military deaths and wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. As this number grows, the seven degrees of separation will ensure that sooner or later each one of us will be touched by these senseless (yes senseless!) deaths. May this number never get here. Then there are the journalistic deaths and wounded. From Daniel Pearl to (may she get home safely) Jill Carroll, to the civilians and media people accompanying them... sooner or later each one of us will see a name we recognize, felt some kinship with. For many of us, it is Bob Woodruff.

All these numbers are seeping into the national consciousness and all of them add up to one big headache for the Bush Administration.

Me, I'm just sitting back watching these numbers emerge with escalating frequency, wondering when the numbers will finally add up to several indictments (some of which have happened already - hi Jack Abramoff! Hi Duke Cunningham! Hi Scooter Libby!) AND ONE nice impeachment.