America's oligarchy

Writes Wendy McElroy on her blog this morning:

A disturbing thought. George Herbert Walker Bush was President from 1989-1993, William Jefferson Clinton from 1993-2001. George Walker Bush will have been President from 2001-2009. If Hillary Clinton wins in 2008 and even if she serves only one term, then two families will have occupied the White House for almost 25 years — more than one generation. The definition of oligarchy is “a form of government where political power effectively rests with a small elite segment of society.” How much more elite can America become than to have two families out of a population of 300,000,000 people hold power for a quarter of a century?

A personal note: several months ago, I asked an old friend I’d describe as a lifelong liberal Democrat whether he was supporting Hillary Clinton in the upcoming presidential race. “Nope,” he answered. “We’re suffering with a Bush dynasty right now. I won’t champion a Clintonian one.”