[Mb-civic] Top 10 Stories Of 2006 - Eugene Robinson - Washington Post Op-Ed

[William Swiggard]

Top 10 Stories Of 2006

By Eugene Robinson
Tuesday, January 3, 2006; A17

Columnists are endowed with the gift of perfect clairvoyance, so here 
are a few predictions for 2006 -- each guaranteed to be at least as 
accurate as George Tenet's "slam-dunk" intelligence about Iraq:

(1) George W. Bush will continue his bid to enter the Guinness Book of 
World Records for "Most Frequent Use of the Blame-the-Messenger Strategy 
(Modern Era)." We saw the latest example Friday when the administration 
reacted to disclosure of its vast domestic surveillance program by 
launching a Justice Department investigation -- not to reexamine the 
electronic spying itself, which seems to violate the law, but to 
identify the whistle-blower who brought this practice to light. Next 
target: Who's leaking all that unhelpful news from Iraq, such as figures 
on American casualties and reports of torture by U.S.-trained Iraqi police?

(2) The administration will see steady "progress" in Iraq, even if the 
new government's first act is to sign a friendship pact with Iran. This 
"progress" will allow some U.S. troops to be brought home in the summer 
and fall. Unfortunately, they will have to be sent right back to Iraq in 
mid-November, after the midterm election. But who could have foreseen that?

(3) Congress will soldier on in its brave attempt to spend and collect 
public funds without the use of a pocket calculator. It seems that 
whenever a senator or representative tries to bring one of those devices 
into the Capitol, it gets confiscated at the door. It's wartime, and 
simple addition can be a security risk -- to say nothing of 
multiplication. The only duty of Congress is to spend money as fast as 
the Chinese will lend it to us.

(4) Whenever she's asked, Condoleezza Rice will deny she's even thinking 
about running for president. But when reporters get back to the office 
and review their notes, they'll discover that the door was left open 
just a crack -- that she said "I don't want to" run, not "I won't." 
Meanwhile, Rice will discover that solving the world's crises somehow 
requires taking quite a few domestic trips, a la her recent homecoming 
tour of Alabama. Photogenic little children, American flags and miles of 
campaign-style bunting will magically appear whenever the cameras are 
rolling.

(5) Hillary Clinton will also deny that she's running for president -- 
at least until she gets reelected to the Senate. But all the while, she 
will slog ahead on her epic rightward march, reinforcing her change of 
allegiance in the Culture War. When her support for a bill to outlaw 
flag-burning fails to soften the hearts of the most adamant 
Hillary-haters, she may have to go all the way and announce she intends 
to honor our troops in Iraq by baking a batch of cookies for each and 
every brave unit.

(6) Many other potential candidates will not deny they are running for 
president in 2008. In fact, anyone who might need to travel to New 
Hampshire or Iowa any time in the next two years should book now, 
because flights and hotel rooms are filling up. Of all these hopefuls, 
though, only John McCain will gain any real traction. The White House 
will attempt to seem pleased by this development.

(7) Any and all of the above will be driven from the public 
consciousness, or at least crowded off the cable television news shows, 
by an engrossing, ratings-boosting saga: An attractive young white woman 
will vanish.

(8) Fox News Channel, having had such success inventing and then 
covering last month's imaginary "war on Christmas," will go on to 
concoct imaginary "wars" against other holidays. A "war on Easter" would 
be too obvious and a "war on Independence Day" too easy, so here's a 
challenge to my talented friends at Fox: Come up with a "war on Labor 
Day." It sounds tough, since organized labor isn't a natural Fox 
constituency, but maybe there's a way to work in the illegal immigration 
issue, or examine how the practice of outsourcing jobs robs Americans of 
employment opportunities.

(9) When the summer hurricanes come to batter Florida and wipe out what 
little progress has been made on rebuilding the Gulf Coast, the 
president will give a bold speech full of noble promises. Evacuees from 
Hurricane Katrina, still in their cramped trailers and temporary 
apartments, will not applaud.

(10) Americans will suddenly wake up and question the Bush 
administration about Iraq, about domestic spying, about global warming, 
about tax cuts. But just then, as the president fumbles for answers, a 
compelling news event will steal away the nation's attention.

Hard to believe, but another attractive young white woman will vanish.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/02/AR2006010200973.html?nav=hcmodule
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