casus belli

another new Latin term for me

Definition of casus belli:
“An act or event that provokes or is used to justify war.” (answers.com).

Where I ran across it:
6/1/08 NYT op-ed column, “Cult of Deception,” by Maureen Dowd.

“…It was not the fake casus belli that made Colin Powell’s blood boil. What really got Powell disgusted was that W. and Dick Cheney used him, tapping into his credibility to sell their trumped-up war; that George Tenet failed to help him scrub his U.N. speech of all Cheney’s garbage; and that W. showed him the door so the more malleable Condi could have his job. …”

My two cents:
Maureen Dowd’s op-ed column concerns the new exposé, "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception," by ex-Bush insider, Scott McClellan. The truth is scarier than fiction, as they say. Yikes, this is a real horror story.

McClellan's tales of the dirty, dishonest politics of the Bush administration are disturbing, and disheartening, but sadly, not unique. That Washington is a shark tank should not be big news. I would like to believe, however, that there are those noble few in Washington who manage to remain honest and retain their integrity. Jimmy Carter, like him or not, was one of those good souls. Maybe he's not best remembered for his efficacy as a president, but more for his diplomacy, his kindness, his truthfulness, and his unwavering integrity, both in and out of office. But Washington eats guys like that for lunch. I'm guessing Obama, the new, wide-eyed idealist on the block, has the hungry sharks circling.

What is it that makes politicians want to do what they do, and why does anyone want to be president, anyway? To lead? To make a difference? To take a power trip? To get gray hair and a case of nerves? To prove to Mom and Dad they aren’t really a screw-up? Oops, “W.” is still working on that last one. It sure isn't for the money. Granted, there's a lifetime of post-service perks and plenty of prestige, but for all his trouble, the president's salary is only $400,000 a year. Compare that to the salaries just recently negotiated by the main actors who voice "The Simpsons": $400,000 per episode! Doh! (I am now restraining myself from the wicked temptation to compare George Bush to Homer Simpson. Let's leave it at that. You're welcome.)

Being President is hard on a person. If (and now most likely, when) Hillary loses the nomination she should at least take comfort in the fact that she won’t be aging exponentially (read: presidentially) in the next four years. If Obama loses the election he’s young enough he can bounce back to try again after a few more years in the senate where he will become more jaded and lose his boyish innocence bit by bit. Come to think of it, he stands to become more jaded and lose his boyish innocence either way, win or lose. Old-timer McCain is a seasoned politico who may be spry now, but winning this election could be really bad for his health. As for McCain’s mind, it’s set on supporting George Bush’s hawkish political rationales, and that really disturbs me.

My mother used to wag her finger and warn her children about making healthy career choices; that politics is a dirty business -- right below show business and prostitution -- and I think Momma was right. Moreover, based on Scott McClellan's revelations of Bush's White House, there’s not much difference between Washington politics and the other two things on Momma’s list, is there?