Bush takes one more step toward outright fascism.

What randman makes clear, over and over again, is that his primary loyalty is to a political faction and an economic class, not to the ideals upon which democracy and the American republic are based. In his eyes, there is no sin which cannot be washed clean in the blood of the Republic if it is committed by a Republican.Randman has explicitly stated that he will not criticize actions performed by Republicans that he criticized when they were performed by Democrats because it would provide aid and comfort to "lefties"--his only loyalty is to power, and his only option is to change the subject.There have been about a dozen signing statements from previous presidents that seek to interpret the terms of new laws drafted with considerable involvement by the White House. Bush uses the signing statements to defy his Constitutional duties. He has issued more than 800 signing statements intended to undermine Congress' power to make laws with which he disagrees. He has repeatedly broken his Presidential Oath to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law.Fortunately, the tide is turning: conservatives with integrity are joining the chorus to criticize Bush II because they recognize the danger of allowing his precedents to stand--their partisans will not always hold the reins of government, and they no more want Democrats to enjoy an imperial presidency than liberals want Bush to do so.I believe Bush's excesses will shepherd the neocon backers of an Imperial Presidency back into the political wilderness where they belong, and randman can again pretend that his partisan goals match our national interests.

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God gave us the earth. We have dominion over the plants, the animals, the trees. God said, ”Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It’s yours.’
--Ann Coulter, Fox-TV: Hannity & Colmes, 20 Jun 01 Save lives! Click here!
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This morning I listened to an NPR segment that included a high level DoJ official from the Reagan administration. He was livid about Bush's signing statements, and explicitly stated that the practice abandoned core conservative values, most specifically (aside from plain matters of constitutionality), the recognition that however right one feels one's partisan cause, one cannot expect one's own angels to always occupy the office one now holds.The imperfectiblity of human nature is bedrock to conservative political philosophy: Do Republicans really want an Imperial Hillary? The streaming audio (program: Day to Day) is probably available at npr.org, or will be tomorrow.He stated plainly that Bush & Co. have betrayed the most fundamental tenets of both Constitutional law and conservative political philosphy. I have seen a handful of opinion pieces in the NY Times (and elsewhere) from stalwart conservatives making the same point.Further, those among my friends who consider themselves to be conservatives (and, boy, are they!), have become uneasy about an administration that promotes its own power over the national interest and the principles of our Republic.Take heart, nwr--the tide is turning. You can fool some of the people all the time, and you can fool all the people some of the time, but...

Agreed. I'm just trying to reward chordate approximations.

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God gave us the earth. We have dominion over the plants, the animals, the trees. God said, ”Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It’s yours.’
--Ann Coulter, Fox-TV: Hannity & Colmes, 20 Jun 01 Save lives! Click here!
Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC!
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