Partisan Ideology Wrecks Reason: An Example

A New York Times article today nicely illustrates the power of partisan, bias-based ideology to trash conscious reason but still be used as support for false beliefs. Regarding the CIA investigation of the Saudi murder of US-based reporter Jamal Khashoggi as ordered by the murdering goon Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, the NYT writes:

“Mr. Graham [ Senator Lindsey Graham - R-SC] had initially threatened to withhold support for legislative priorities until he was briefed by Ms. Haspel. He said on Tuesday that it was clear Mr. Pompeo and Mr. Mattis were being ‘good soldiers’ for the White House when they briefed senators last week.

But he also called their assessments misleading, and alluded to Mr. Mattis’s insistence that American officials had seen ‘no smoking gun’ to indicate Prince Mohammed was to blame in Mr. Khashoggi’s killing.

‘There is not a smoking gun, there’s a smoking saw,’ Mr. Graham said.

‘You have to be willfully blind’ not to see it, he said.”

The situation is simple and clear. Graham characterizes Pompeo and Mattis, as ‘good soldiers’ who are willfully blind in their support of President Trump. Graham also says there is not a smoking gun, but there is a smoking saw referring to the bone saw the goons that Mohammed bin Salman ordered to murder Mr. Khashoggi used in his murder.

How can good soldiers possibly be willfully blind? Isn't willful blindness evidence of an incompetent and/or stupid soldier? That happens when the person expressing that kind of irrational drivel, Senator Graham, puts partisan advantage over the good of the country and the truth. That mindset directly reflects the current republican and populist view that partisan advantage is a higher moral value than service to the public interest. With that corrupt, incompetent mindset, any non-trivial sign of partisan loyalty absolves partisan crooks, liars and traitors of any significant criticism, much less any professional or criminal liability, for betraying the public interest in favor of republican partisan interest.

By now, this is just routine Trump brand politics under the immoral, corrupt, incompetent liar Trump and his now cowed into stupid submission political party called the GOP.

Or, is that too harsh an assessment? Is Senator Graham an insightful patriot fighting for the American people and the public interest? Did Mattis and Pompeo just make an honest mistake or are they corrupt ideologues who hold partisan advantage a higher moral value than service to the public interest and the truth?

In a liberal democracy like America, do political means, e.g., lies, blind stupidity, blind loyalty, etc., justify the ends?

B&B orig: 12/5/18