Memoria Longa, Vita Potentia Brevis

   The Greek physician Hippocrates coined the aphorism ars longa, vita brevis, namely, "Art is long, but life is short.  By this, he meant to teach that the art of healing has a much longer life expectancy than that of its practitioner  -- and patient, we might well add.  Needless to say, ars longa, vita brevis has generally been extended to all the arts today, and the principal intent, no matter how ars is interpreted, is to point out that we are all mortal and must anticipate death. 

   The same can be said in American politics.  Were the good Greek physician alive and diagnosing today, he might well amend his immortal apothegm so as to state memoria longa, vita potentia brevis -- namely, "memory is long, but political life is short."  For in this era of "Gotcha! Politics," one slip of the tongue, one youthful verbal indiscretion -- whether yesterday or yesteryear -- can spell finis or calamitas to even the brightest political career.  Consider the following:

• In 1967, Michigan Governor George Romney was a leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination.  On September 7, 1967, Romney told Detroit television news reporter Lou Gordon that he had been brainwashed" by American generals into supporting the Vietnam War effort while touring the area in 1965.  That one word -- "brainwashed" -- caused such a furor among posturing Republican candidates that Romney's campaign died a swift death.
• In 1972, Maine Senator Edmund Muskie was a leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination.  One snowy winter morning, Muskie stood on the steps leading to the Manchester Union Leader, prepared to denounce publisher William Loeb, who had been running vicious articles and editorials denouncing both the senator and his wife Jane.  Muskie began his remarks by calling the archconservative Loeb "a gutless coward."  In defending his wife, Muskie broke down three times in as many minutes, uttered a few words, and then, with tears welling up in his eyes, stood mute.  Those tears, broadcast on the nightly news, cost Muskie the nomination.
• On January 19, 2004, Vermont Governor Howard Dean finished a disappointing third in the Iowa Democratic caucuses.  Addressing his downhearted supporters at a post-caucus rally, Dean attempted to energize them by giving a positive, stem-winding speech.  Red of face and pumping a fist in the air, Dean killed all chances of political recovery by ending his oration with what has come to be known variously as "The Dean Scream," or the "I Have a Scream!" speech.  Till this day, Dean detractors keep reminding American voters that the former Vermont Governor [and current Chair of the DNC] is "unbalanced," "maniacal," and "hyper."

     These are but three examples of "Gotcha! Politics" at their worst.  In essence, this smarmy tactic requires that one's opponents remain ever vigilant for an unfortunate word, phrase or gesture against which to can launch a frontal assault.  It further requires that said word, phrase or gesture be referred to over and over and over, until, it moves from the realm of aberration to definition.  In other words, Romney is understood to be mentally challenged, Muskie overly emotional, and Dean dangerously hyperkinetic.  Indeed, memoria longa, vita potentia brevis.

   One wonders how many Americans truly believe that Al Gore said he "invented the Internet," or remember that Virginia Senate candidate James Webb said more than 30 years ago that he did not believe women should be admitted to Annapolis?  Never mind that Gore never claimed to have invented cyberspace or that Webb, while serving as Ronald Reagan's Navy Secretary was directly responsible for enhancing and increasing the role of women in America's floating armada.  If one listens to Webb's opponent, Senator George Allen [he who will ever after be remembered as "Senator Macaca"], one would have to conclude that he [Webb] is a card-carrying misogynist. 

   We may well be able to now add Senator John Kerry's name to the list of those who have fallen prey to "Gotcha! Politics." Who in America is unaware of the Senator's feeble -- and potentially self-mutilating gaffe this week out in California?  What the humor-challenged gentleman from Massachusetts was supposed to say was: "Do you know where you end up if you don't study, if you're intellectually lazy?  You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq.  Just ask President Bush."  Lamentably, what came out of Kerry's mouth wasn't what he speech writer had penned.  So be it; John Kerry is no Jim Carrey.  But tell me: is there anyone with an I.Q. higher than a house plant who really, truly believes that the senator was actually [not to mention, consciously] denigrating the fighting men and women in our nation's armed forces?  Does anyone really, truly believe that Kerry, himself a thrice-wounded, highly decorated war hero would equate soldiering with failure?  For anyone who believes that, I have a couple of hundred thousand shares of Enron for sale.   

   But wait: it would appear that there actually are folks out there with I.Q.s lower than house plants.  They are named Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove and North [Ollie, that is], among others.  For no sooner did the words escape Kerry's lips than the White House was on the attack, weeping crocodile tears over the senator's "unforgivable attack" on America's fighting forces -- an attack for which, the White House unctuously cried out that Kerry needed to do penance and self-flagellation.  You have got to know that no one in the White House really believed that Kerry was out to denigrate our troops.  Nonetheless, in accordance with our dictate memoria longa, vita potentia brevis, they wrung their hands with glee, pasted on masks of deadly seriousness, and professed utter revulsion.

   Kerry's initial response, of course, was one of controlled anger.  Anyone who watched his press conference without benefit of sound, would have seen a stolidly composed man addressing the members of the Fourth Estate.  His demeanor, however, belied his words, which were sharp, no-nonsense, and very, very angry.  Watching that press conference, I thought "that's the Kerry we should have heard and seen back in 2004!"

   One ironic and, I would imagine, unintentional byproduct of this flap is that at least for a double news-cycle, it forced the White House to return to the issue of Iraq -- something they had been showing themselves increasingly loathe to do. For this is the one issue upon which an overwhelming majority of the American public judges and defines both the Bush Administration and a whole lot of national Republicans now fighting for their political lives.

   Memoria longa, vita potentia brevis is part and parcel of the oleaginous world of "Gotcha! Politics."  As a partisan Democrat, I would hope and pray that Kerry's clinker fades from our collective memory, and that his stupidly botched joke won't do to him what tears did to Edmund Muskie.  Sometimes we forget that our politicians are mere flesh-and-blood; men and women who, like us, make mistakes and [hopefully] live to see another day.  They run for nomination; we should not expect them to be worthy of beatification. 

    The Republican's war in Iraq?  Well, that's something that likely even old Doc Hippocrates couldn't cure . . .

       

Comments

[lester katz]

how do you explain the fact that Kerry cannot explain away that remark but will be stuck w/ it forever, but that Bush can get away w/ stating that he never said "stay the course". See the excellent article of leonard Pitts comparing this to Orwell's 1984 where history is obliterated to suit the convenience of the rulers

[lester katz]

how do you explain the fact that Kerry cannot explain away that remark but will be stuck w/ it forever, but that Bush can get away w/ stating that he never said "stay the course". See the excellent article of leonard Pitts comparing this to Orwell's 1984 where history is obliterated to suit the convenience of the rulers