Two lawyers walk into a courtroom with their respective clients. The case is a bitterly contested civil lawsuit. The argument in court is vicious. It turns personal when the two advocates lambaste each others positions before the judge. Animosity runs high.
The trial ends. The verdict is rendered. A few days later the attorneys join each other for lunch. The atmosphere is friendly. Here they are friends. In the courtroom each played a role, each fulfilling his duty to his client. In the restaurant they are brothers in a profession.
There is an aspect of gamesmanship in the legal process that attorneys understand but their respective clients do not. And so it is in politics. Bush (the senior) and Clinton (the one named Bill) were fierce opponents in the court of politics and before the jury of voters. With the campaigns over and the terms in office concluded, they are but brothers in a profession.
Democracy is the courtroom. The press is the medium. We are the jury. Each side comes before us to plead their case. It can be vicious at times. But the players keep a healthy bit of detachment unseen by the public. For sanity’s sake, we all need to do the same, (once in a while).
Warning! Strong language.
RANDOM THOTS 