If, as he claims, he is the ultimate arbiter of what's best for the country in times of war, then why does George Bush need the courts (or Congress for that matter) to affirm the fact? Do not all dictators simply take what they want at the point of a sword? Or did Bush miss that important fact in dictator school? Sleep through it, as it were, like he did his classes at Harvard and Yale?

The president seems to be devoting an awful lot of time and energy (and our tax dollars) to being declared emperor. Yet, if I remember my history correctly, most empires began as a violent exercise led by someone who took the reins of power, not asked for them. There's a world of difference. It's one thing to disregard the law as Bush routinely does. It's something else entirely to petition the arbiters of the law to surrender their authority and place you above the law itself. Bush seems to want to have it both ways. He continues to break the law while shopping for a court that will LEGALLY ALLOW him to break the law! The highest court in the land (the independence of which has been compromised) has already weighed in with its ruling that the president is not above the law. What part of that does Bush not understand? The truth is this, I think, or very close to this: Bush and Co. are a bunch of wussies who dream of empire without the messiness of violence and bloodshed which is the way most empires get started. They would rather have power GIVEN to them than go about the nasty business of TAKING it by force. They are quite comfortable with war as long as someone else does the fighting. In this they prove themselves to be the worst kind of cowards and the most despicable of criminals. Whatever reasoning it used, the court was right to rebuke them yet again. Beyond the brazen nature of the claim, they display their complete incompetence and utter stupidity.

The really terrifying thing is that these jail house, er, White House lawyers are getting paid an awful lot of money to come up with legal reasoning that only the Spanish Inquisition could understand.

Look, nobody believes this shit anymore so why keep spewing it?

Cheney knows it's a lie. Bush knows it's a lie.

Just like we know that the primary victory of Ned Lamont in CT gives no more "aid and comfort" to terrorists than a thin blanket gives warmth in a snow bank. For once, just once, STOP THE GODDAMN LIES!! For all the talk about Democrats waking up, it's time for the MSM to wake up and call these criminals what they are. LIARS! THUGS! MURDERERS!!

Forty two percent of people polled that actually took the time to answer the survey. How many numbers missed, and how many people hung up the phone and how many others that just don't do surveys of any kind? It's pretty hard to find a representative sample. So CNN, in my judgement, got lucky and found a few people who were still vulnerable to President Bush using the fear card. It means we still have much to do to repudiate this president's whole agenda. A few Democratic victories, a few defeats in the courts for the Bushies and some people, myself included thought victory was in hand. Well, not so fast. 881 days separate us from the day George W. Bush leaves office in January 2009. The sobering reality is that this leaves plenty of time for this kakistocracy to undo the fabric of our country. A few victories are great and welcome. But the struggle is far from over. And just so we don't get too deep in despair, remember the so-called "bounce" Bush got from...hell, I don't even recall what...something? Some event.

Well it faded. This will too. Quite quickly I imagine. A backlash is building strength. If 42% of the 1000 or so people that took the time to answer the survey are to believed, that still shakes out to a deeply unpopular president with the rest of us. And if you really look at the trend, the fear card can't be working as well now. Bush had to take credit for what was largely a British operation. Now that's pretty desperate. So while our "fearless leader" basks in his "bounce" and his yes men join him, let's remember: a 42% approval rating still means the other nearly 60% think you suck. That's just the way it is.

Sound bites to compete with the Smirking Imbecile Commander In Chief?

That's what you want?

You want a bunch of thinking people to cater to the interests and intelligence level of fundamentalist simpletons? My dear God, what have we come to in this country where we actually contemplate fighting simplistic stupidity with more of the same?

Gasoline for the fire, anyone?

Twenty five words to proffer an alternative to the mess that is Iraq. From a presumably liberal, well educated, well-informed readership such as Salon enjoys.

If my intelligence weren't being insulted I might be tempted to give it a shot. Does anyone actually believe Iraq will or can be solved in 25 words, let alone summed up?

Yes. George Bush does.

Centuries of resentment and tensions explained in just 25 little words. Monosyllables. Now we're being asked to do the same thing. Join the idiot crowd.

Lovely.

Well, they aren't calling Bush and Co. the Mayberry Machiavellis for nothing. Leave it to them to explain things in terms first graders could understand.