Kerik and the Medals 

Kerik and the Medals

Atrios:

"Bernard Kerik is one scandal away from winning the Presidential Medal of Freedom."

At first this seems a nearly perfect political joke: Bush and the gang have been far too determined to turn this particular lump of lead into gold. One imagines the meeting: "All we need to know is that he's tough. He kicks ass. He's not going to vacillate, hesitate, think too much like that Hamlet fella." Right, Kerik certainly doesn't have that particular problem.

On the other hand, it smears the recent recipients of the Medal )George Tenet, Tommy Franks, Paul Bremer) to associate them with Kerik. They have served their country honourably. The timing is just unfortunate in that it is so obvious they are being given a big pay off to get them to shut up concerning what they know about Iraq.

Mind you, it's a small world.

And somewhere on the horizon, the question: does Bush know any rich, successful people, other than his father, who aren't crooks?