When I woke to an NPR report that Barack Obama had pledged, “Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency,” I had to laugh. Not because I doubt his sincerity but because we’ve heard this sort of thing before.
Bill Clinton promised us “the most ethical administration in the history of the Republic,” a quote often attributed sneeringly to George W. Bush — who merely promised to “restore honor and dignity” to the White House. Both meant it, I think, as does Obama. Reality has a way of unfolding a bit differently.
Looking for similar homilies, I stumbled on Will Bunch‘s column, which lists longer versions of those quotes and jokes that the inauguration of Obama’s successor will almost certainly be closely followed by a report such as this:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hours after taking the oath of office in the wake of the scandal-plagued Obama, Bush, Clinton, Bush and Reagan administrations, President Rodriguez yesterday released strict new ethical guidelines and promised his administration would be “the most honest since the time of Plato.”
Under the new rules proposed by the 45th president, White House who so much as look at a lobbyist will be immediately fired, fitted with an ankle bracelet and not allowed to travel within an 100-mile radius of Washington for the next 35 years.
Not a bad idea, come to think of it. . . .
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