Absolutely agree.
Facing the truth is not enough. National redemption requires punishment and redress.
Acknowledging the illegitimacy of the Bush regime does a lot more than make people "feel worse about their country" – facing this reality demands action. The crimes must be fully exposed and punished. Every law, executive order, appointment, and crony contract made under illegitimate authority must be rolled back. Reparations for damage that cannot otherwise be undone must be sought.
The single moral tenet on which the US Constitution, and therefore the nation, rests is the principle that government power can only be derived from the consent of the governed.
We the People, through our representatives, have set out our election laws to ensure that election results reflect
OUR will.
Our law is intended to serve our will, not thwart it. Any "technical" or "legal" arguments and rationalizations that set aside the intent of the electorate are wrong.
From
the article:
...if the intentions of the voters hadn't been frustrated by butterfly ballots, felon purges and more; the answer is that Mr. Gore would have won by a much larger margin.
We know that more voters showed up at the polls in Florida intending to vote for Gore than for Bush. What most people don't seem to get (Krugman included I'm afraid) is that this is ALL WE NEED TO KNOW. Gore won. Period.
Any "scenario" that disregards this reality must be discarded. (See "Election 2000: A look back" in
jan6points.html or
jan6points.pdf)
The inauguration of Bush in 2001 violated our most fundamental principle. That violation, and the cascade of horrors that follow from it, are devastating. Although we can't turn back the clock, we can and must take on the work of digging out and rebuilding.
Simply acknowledging what happened and "moving on" would be like building on a rotting and damaged foundation. Acknowledging the rot won't keep your house from falling down.