Heavens, what a marvelous people we are! Or I mean you--what a marvelous people you are. Or us. Or are we an it? Maybe them. I'm not sure. But the American People: they're champs. Just aces. Absolutely top of the line. Every last person of them, the American People.
But so complex. The American People is--are?--are very complex. But simple too. I know this because I listened closely last week as our public servants in Washington went about their business, which as you know is the American People's business. As the House Judiciary Committee debated whether to pursue the President's impeachment, for example, the members mentioned the American People more than 50 times, and I learned the following:
The American People have a deep sense of right and wrong. The American People want the truth, and they want to see justice done, but they need to understand the parameters in which Congresspersons work, assuming the American People know what parameters means, which I do not. But the American People don't want to be distracted from the issues of this country. The facts are before the American People. They understand the basic denominator, which is somewhere below a parameter, and they also expect finality in these impeachment proceedings.
Still, the American People have interests--in what, they didn't say--and they are tired of lawyers who cover up the truth because they, the American People, hope for the truth, and they demand it. And they will know the truth when they hear it. Because the American People don't want open-ended fishing expeditions, and they don't want crud dumped on them. (Yuk! Who does?)
And finally, what the American People want is to bring this to closure. Oh, and bipartisanship: they want to see bipartisanship. Bipartisanship and closure. Same thing.
Many therefore seemed to agree with the Congressman who said at the hearing's close, "This has been a good day for the American People."
But are you sure, Congressman? No sooner had the hearing ended than I saw an ad put up by the group called People for the American Way (the American People for the American Way would be redundant). A maternal-looking lady was saying to the camera, "Let's move on. That's what the American People are saying loud and clear. But some in Washington are listening to the Religious Right--not the people."
Now I was confused again. Aren't the Religious Right part of the American People? How many American Peoples can there be? Fortunately, I was rescued by James Carville, who slithered onto Larry King Live and said, "I want to talk to the American People."
Speak, James! "The American People have a basic sense of fairness," he said. "The American People are a very forgiving people." (See what I mean? We're aces.) So fair, so forgiving are the American People that they agree with James Carville completely. I've noticed this about the American People. Their views are always identical to the views of whoever mentions them. "The President has the respect and admiration of the American People," Carville said.