On April 2, 1865 the Army of the Potomac, under General Ulysses S. Grant, penetrated the defenses of the Virginia city of Petersburg, a vital railroad hub 20 miles south of the Confederate capital, Richmond. Fearing entrapment, General Robert E. Lee withdrew the Army of Northern Virginia from the trenches surrounding both cities, pausing only long enough to ensure the escape of the civilian rebel government led by Jefferson Davis. For seven days, the Army of Northern Virginia was hounded by a Union force which managed to cut off all sources of food while never allowing the Confederate army to pause for a day’s rest. Throughout this ordeal, and even after the surrender of General Lee to General Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Jefferson Davis persisted in the belief that Lee could escape south and that the Civil War could be continued. He called the abandonment of Richmond, “the opening of a new phase in our struggle.”
This is what we would call “spin.” Evidence abounded that the Cause was lost, yet Davis could not surrender his belief that the Confederacy would achieve independence . He was blind to the reality of his situation, yet everyone but Jefferson Davis seemed to be able to see it. From Democratic Senate deal grabbers like Ben Nelson to Republican “Obama Waterloo” hopefuls like Jim DeMint, it seems like our modern political leaders have been as distracted by their own delusions as old Jeff. The focus has shifted completely off of statecraft and on to a land rush for media real estate.
The tone has taken on that of a circus when one adds in the recent antics of John Edwards, who apparently has been reluctant to pay medical expenses for the daughter he has only recently acknowledged as his own. Equally strange is the outrage of the Tea-Party conventioneers who take umbrage at the event organizer who is capitalizing on the libertarian movement to turn a profit. At any moment, Tom DeLay and Rod Blagojevich are going to step from behind the curtain wearing silk jackets and top hat funded by the free speech rights which corporations recently had “restored” by the Supreme Court.
Despite recent evidence to the contrary, I believe we are a dignified people. The current public discourse does not appeal to that fundamental dignity. My hope is that the circus atmosphere of the present climate will create a will and a space for more moderate and pragmatic discussion and solutions. As quickly as the pendulum seemed to swing in 2008, it seems to be swinging in the opposite direction today. So much motion is making me seasick.