It seems as if the main stories of the day are becoming quite repetitive. Whether it's another atrocity in Iraq, or the Mayor of Kabul under seige, more death in Iraq, or another Bush invasion of civil liberties, it gets increasingly difficult to see any of these stories as "interesting". I think trauma fatigue may be setting in.

I know it's very important to keep up the focus on these important stories. And I'll certainly work to do so. But I just noticed that as I read through the usual mess this morning it was hard to get the rant up.

One post did catch my eye. On Digby's site, Tristero quotes Bob Herbert as asking (paraphrasing), when will American's get tired of all the crap going on? I felt a certain dispair at reading this as I think it's like negative campaigning. Whenever the issue of negative campaign ads is polled, it comes up a loser. But campaigns turn to negative ads as soon as they are in trouble.

Why?

Because it works.

Appealling to emotions is always a political winner even if the emotions brought forth are negative. As the public adapts to the stimulation at one level, it's time to up the level of emotional stimulation. Thus, four years ago the idea of torture was appalling while today it's commonplace. Atrocities committed at Haditha that might have seemed terrible are becoming commonplace and back page news. This is how a "moral" public can become complicit in something like mass genocide, i.e. gassing Jews in concentration camps.

I pray that the mid-term elections actually make a change in course possible. I further hope that the leaders of the future don't choose to "build" on the precedents of the Bush administration. If Bush and Edgar Bergen never get held accountable in some fashion, that's a real danger and an unfortunate likelihood.

Here's to crossing your fingers as the very foundations of our society balance on the head of a pin.