I'm not a pragmatist either, which is why I'm a blogger. All I need is a shotgun, a barrel, and some fish.

A potential "middle way" that I've often thought about would be some kind of Truth Commission, independent of the government but with the power of subpoena and amnesty. Such a commission could provide some form of accountability and allow the truth to come to light without necessarily bringing about the fall of the United States government.

Not that I think there would be anything wrong, in global/historical justice terms, with the fall of the United States government. Realistically, though, however, I fear the bloodtide. Many of our brethren in the Red states are fearsomely armed, and they hold grudges a long time.

Isn't it interesting how Orwell (or, more properly, the dictatorships he satirized) have made the word "Truth" a "chilling" term?

In any regard, truth commissions are pretty common in countries emerging from repressive systems. South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission is probably the widest-known, and its work may have saved that country from tearing itself apart after apartheid.

There's a list of truth commissions here, and at my sig:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_and_Reconciliation_Commission

(Maybe, to make it uniquely American, it can be set up as a reality show: Who Wants to be a War Criminal?)

The ability to listen to pretty much any phone call you want to? That's not power in your mind? The ability to invade and occupy a country just because you wanna? That's not power? The ability to make or ignore laws at will? The ability to inflict unimaginable pain on any person you want to designate as an "enemy combatant?"

If these things are not the exercise of raw power in your thinking... good Christ, man, what is?

How did they empower Bush, personally? Why would he choose this particular way to exercise power?

To... to protect us? Oh my god, you're right!

Seriously, man, is this all you've got? You're trying to tell me that, unless it empowers Bush personally - like in some Caligula-esque way or something - that an exercise of such massive power isn't power?

You disappoint me.

That was awesome.

Seriously, you had me going for a while. Andy Kaufman himself couldn't have done better.

Hats off to you.

C'mon, "get the facts out (behind closed doors)?" "Dirty laundry?" That's comedy gold! Like when the great Kaufman would play these over the top misogynists, you know, as satire?

Cause that's what he was doing.

...right?

The motive of the power-hungry is always to mold the world into what they think it should be. So: invasions, surveillance, Government agencies captive to the industries they are meant to regulate, etc.

'Twas ever thus, and ever shall it be. I don't doubt that Obama, should he retain these powers, will be tempted to remake the world as he sees fit. It's why, when Satan took Jesus to the mountaintop, he tried to turn him by offering him power over all the kingdoms of the world. Somebody way smarter than me once said "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

But, sure: he probably just did it "to protect us."

What a sorry excuse for a free man you are.

"oh not, not even the most potent brainwashing techniques, applied to the most mindless and subservient population, could ever convince them of that."

Right.

So, you make them do it to themselves.

Works for soap, cell phones and Cialis; they finally figured out it works for subservience, as well.

That's Enzyte. Ask shooter.

t it will take the first truly shocking revelation (or maybe a few) about Bush era law-breaking

Not to be obnoxious, Arm, but WTF could that be? Footage of Bush sodomizing infants before feeding them, live, to Cheney in his basement lair at the Observatory?

Whatevs, so long as I get a puppy.

Sorry for the irritation but I don't need it explained to me.

Sorry for the irritation but even though I pretty much totally agree with you, your constant aggressive whininess almost makes me want to join the Democratic Party.

Look, either start building your own following (which you have repeatedly, loudly insisted you are incapable of doing), or try a different strategy of winning Glenn Greenwald over to be a spokesman for the revolution. Because if he is half as irritated as I am, we stand a better chance of getting Keith fucking Olbermann to be our front-man.

And that self-important dick chaps my ass even more than you do.

kthxbai

Civility in discourse?

Oh, no. I could care less what an idiot you make yourself look like... my point was that you're doing nothing to advance your stated goal of trying to get Glenn to advocate for issues you say you care about.

I'm sorry for confusing you with someone who gives a shit about bringing real change to the world. It's obvious your only goal is to draw attention to yourself, which you marginally accomplish by being the resident cartoon of a left radical.

Maybe you'll be an object lesson to young people of the difference between rhetoric and action. Or maybe you'll end up an old barfly like a lot of disillusioned leftist wannabes I know here in Boston.

As much as you piss me off, I genuinely don't wish that fate on you.