Icebergs and garbage

I should be happy.  The polls report that GWB's approval rating is at an all time low and that the Democrats are likely to reclaim power in the House and the Senate.  But I'm not happy.

According to an AP report for October 10, 2006, 2,750 members of the U.S. military have died in Iraq since the war (military action?) began in 2003.  A soon to be released report, from a study primarily funded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, estimates that 600,000 Iraqi citizens have died since the conflict began.  Of course, this number is already generating controversy.  More conservative estimates put the civilian death toll around 44,000 to 50,000.  Clearly, someone did not do well in math; I'm just not sure who can't count.  I recently read that there is a garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean that is double the size of Texas.  Another headline was about a severe storm that occurred in the Gulf of Alaska in October 2005 that generated an ocean swell that broke apart an iceberg floating more than 8,300 miles away near the coast of Antarctica.  Scientists speculate that global warming may have played a role in this.  To top it all off, North Korea claims to have detonated a nuclear weapon.  Condoleeza Rice says it may not be so!

I worry about these things.  However, it appears that none of these things have much to do with the possibility of Democrats taking a record number of seats in the November elections.  The Democrats owe their potential victory to former Rep. Foley.

Please don't misunderstand; I have no sympathy for Foley.  The man is an idiot, controlled by an overactive libido.  What bothers me is that the issue that has grabbed the attention of the American public, that has made that public stand ready to turn on GWB and his party, centers on a pathetic man with a perverse fascination with boys young enough to be his grandchildren.

Certainly, the Foley scandal is of concern to the young men whose innocence and trust he violated, and their families.  It is appropriate that the rest of us should be outraged at his betrayal of the trust invested in him by virtue of his office and position as a servant of the people.  But I find it frightening that were it not for Foley's horny nature, the majority of American voters would be content to maintain the status quo in Congress.

We no longer debate issues of significance such as environmental concerns like global warming, or the never ending war in Iraq.  We barely notice the rising costs of health care, the increase in the number of uninsured and under insured Americans, but we get really riled up about one congressman's salacious behavior. 

Foley was wrong; there is no defense for his actions.  Anyone who knew of his predilection for children and did nothing is just as wrong and should be dealt with accordingly.  However, I find it disturbing that the only thing that seems to rally voters to pay attention is some sleazy scandal involving an elected official.  Barring such scandalous behavior, we float along, surrounded by the garbage and never noticing the iceberg dead ahead.