Law and Order in the Looking Glass

Remember the classic Star Trek episode, Mirror, Mirror?

Kirk and his landing party beaming up through an ion storm find themselves transported to a mirror universe where all that was good back home is bad and all that was bad is good?

Tonight Law and Order is doing its own Mirror, Mirror episode.

The story they've ripped from the headlines is Valerie Plame's.

They've turned Plame into an undercover cop.

They've turned her husband Joseph Wilson into a crusading author and her father.

They've turned Karl Rove into a Congressman's chief of staff.

A Liberal Congressman.

I don't think I've heard the word Liberal used as a perjorative so often in a half hour of television since the last time I watched Bill O'Reilly.

The Rove character, trying to discredit the Wilson character, blows the Plame character's cover and gets her murdered by Albanian mobsters.

Tell me why this is making me so mad.

A. There is no Liberal or Democratic Karl Rove and to even pretend that there's one for the sake of a TV show stretches the bounds of credulity past the breaking point.

B. Changing the Rove character's political affiliation goes beyond what's necessary to avoid a lawsuit, even if Rove, a public figure, could sue for libel. Therefore the change is either an act of cowardice or political bias resulting in wishful thinking.

C. It reminds me of "They all do it, so Rove isn't so bad, he's just playing hardball" thinking that Washington Insiders adopt to save themselves from the resposnibility of caring.

D. It plays into the hands of Right Wingers who can use it to rationalize to themselves that both sides play dirty but Democrats play dirtier therefore all Rove's doing is playing defense according to the Chicago Way.

E. It's late, I'm tired, I'm grumpy, I don't have enough to worry about, I'm letting my political angers ruin my enjoyment of my favorite show, I need to lighten up and develop a sense of humor.

Update: It's worse. The Congressman the Rove candidate works for is corrupt. Of course. All those folks in Washington are dirty. Jack Abramoff gave money to both sides.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006 in Too Much TV | Permalink