Abject Cruelty Is A Standard Republican Policy

There are a lot of horrible things that the last two Republican presidents will be remembered for. Bush will be remembered for lying to get us into a war that needlessly killed hundreds of thousands, if not over 1 million, innocent Iraqis and destabilizing the Middle East for decades, precipitating the deaths of tens of thousands more. Trump may very well be remembered for being the first modern President accused of collaborating with an enemy or for the end of our democracy as we know it.

But these two will also be remembered for their abject cruelty in defiance of US and international law. Bush and his cronies will always be remembered as war criminals for authorizing torture. But at least those Bush directed to be tortured were actually adults. Trump will be remembered for separating children, many under 14 years of age, who come here with their families legally seeking asylum and locking them up in “cages that looked like dog kennels”.

These are the policies of our last two Republican presidents. For their supporters, this kind of abject cruelty is a feature, not a bug. And that should never be forgotten.