As little as I like Sarah Palin, the fact is that entrenched lobbying and other special interests mean that a “changing of the guard” in Washington is too often only a change in branding. As Barack Obama submits to the pressures of a US Department of Defense in which private contractors comprise 65% of the staffing budget, proposes preventive detention of Guantánamo detainees, and perpetuates the status quo in myriad other ways, her question – “So how’s that whole hopey-changey thing workin’ out for ya?” – is not the wrong question.
虽然我不怎么喜欢莎拉·佩林，但不可否认的是，历史悠久、根深蒂固的游说和其他特殊利益的存在使得华盛顿特区 “ 守门人的变更 ” （总统更替）通常都只是换换牌子而已。而随着巴拉克·奥巴马屈服于美国国防部的压力（私人承包商占了这一部门人员经费预算的65%），提出要对关塔那摩监狱的囚犯进行预防性拘留，并想方设法来永久维持现状的时候，可想而知，莎拉·佩林的问题（“一整套所谓的希望啊变革啊将咋在你身上实现？”）可没提错。