Tough but fair

"The time has come," the Wiener said,
"To talk of many things.
Of popes and dope and kings.
And why the sea is boiling hot,
And whether cops have wings."
Remember five long years ago?
Those were good times that may never come again
Now everything is justified
Is that tough but fair?
The time has come to look me in the eye
And tell me all the things
That I have told you
You can claim to have invented them
It might even be true
I guess we failed, at least we tried
Things could be worse, we might have died
I guess we failed