Politics: Unspeakable

It happens less and less now, but there was once a time when I wondered if the people doing the loathesome things in the world realized the impact of their actions. I'm not talking about genocides or whatever, but just the political people, who go to work every day working for some cause they believe in and advancing an agenda I find disgusting.

These thoughts were of a piece with the "how can they live with themselves?" questions and the "don't they realize what they're doing?" questions that I think thoughtful people (who are often liberal) ask while less thoughtful people are just going ahead and doing whetever, and then going to happy hour afterwards to talk about it.

Example 1: This morning's In the Loop column in the Washington Post features an item titled . . . And Easy Does It at EPA. The words in question:

Your tax dollars at play, Part III. . . . Last Friday, Jeff Holmstead, in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency's office of air and radiation, was feeling particularly upbeat.

'In the last 3 days,' he said in an e-mail to employees, 'we finalized a major NSR rule [which saved power plant owners and others from having to upgrade pollution controls], issued 13 [air pollution] standards' agreeing to industry-sought relaxations, 'and denied a 1999 petition asking us to regulate CO2 emissions from cars and trucks. Just another typical week at OAR.'

'In recognition of all this good work, I think we all deserve to start the Labor Day weekend a little early, so OAR is closing at 2:00 today. I hope you all enjoy your much-deserved long weekend,' wrote Holmstead, a former industry lawyer and lobbyist.

The enviros are all upset about Holmstead's most kind gesture. But hey, protecting the environment is exhausting work.

Terrific!