I've seen this Goldsmith quote trotted out in several places, now...

"because they wanted to leave the presidency stronger than when they assumed office, but the approach they took achieved exactly the opposite effect. The central irony is that people whose explicit goal was to expand presidential power have diminished it."

I disagree with that assertion; the Presidency is far more powerful than ever -- it is, however, less legal than ever. The power claimed by the Unitary Executive is fundamentally extralegal, but in the absence of checks and balances from the other branches of government, is that extralegality a barrier to the exercise of that power? Not hardly. Everything Bush/Cheney have wanted, they've gotten, and then some.

The tyrant still sits on the throne untouched and unchallenged, if also unpopular -- tyranny and popularity don't sit well together, but it hardly matters to the tyrant if he's loved; what matters is the power. We're really going to have to see a Restoration period for American democracy in the wake of this administration, and if we don't see it, we need to ensure that it happens. Let's bring back the rule of law, howsabout?

The "one bomb away" wishful thinking of these fascists is stunning and frightening, and lets you know exactly where their heads are at. A timely bomb threat or scare around Election Day next year could seal the deal, and I can really see party faithful doing it, since they've so clearly put their Grand Old Party's interests ahead of everything.

I'm glad Souter was persuaded to stay on, because if he'd resigned on principle, he'd have given Bush/Cheney yet another opportunity to pack the Court still tighter with Federalist Society wingnuts.

History will ultimately vindicate Souter's tears, because few rulings will live in greater infamy than Bush v. Gore, when the Rehnquist court unquestionably revealed it was the house court of the GOP. The Supreme RATS (Roberts, Alito, Thomas, and Scalia) will ensure that it remains tainted for another generation or so, keeping the Rehnquist tradition of (in)justice alive, but barring an actual coup and shutdown of the government, I think time and politics aren't on the side of the GOP's un-American machinations, and the RATS will eventually have to leave the ship.

Then maybe the GOP's followers will secede or something, once they realize they can't take over the government.

Great piece, Mr. Leonard, and good call on the manipulation of the language. That kind of stuff happens across the topical board in our "free" press: they have poor; we have underprivileged. They kill; we defend. They spy; we study. They terrorize; we liberate. And so on (and on -- the mainstream media has tons of that kind of sanitizing speech).

So, it's no surprise that we "scan" while they "hack."

Craig, who said Saturday that it's his "intent to resign from the Senate effective Sept. 30th," is apparently having second thoughts. "It's not such a foregone conclusion anymore, that the only thing he could do was resign,"

What a flip-flopper Craig is!

I think Larry Craig's rope-a-dope with the truth is not surprising; it's almost like his whole public life is a lie, strangely enough. So, he's probably had a lot of practice with deceiving everybody around him, including himself, apparently.

Others who pointed out that his continued presence in the GOP is definitely a thorn in their sides are right; let him stay on, like him dissemble, let him follow the time-honored Republican traditions of hypocrisy and sanctimony and let the rest of the GOP squirm uncomfortably.

Bush's quote is so telling...

"And that's the way I'm going to play it, as the commander-in-chief. I'll be glad to discuss different options ... And now I call upon the United States Congress to give Gen. David Petraeus a chance to come back and tell us whether his strategy is working. And then we can work together on a way forward."

Playing it is exactly what he's doing. Gamesmanship from alpha to omega with Bush/Cheney. It's just frustrating that the Democrats have played along with their war games.

Bush lays the cards out on the table, and surprise, surprise, they're coming from a stacked deck. Again. Who knew war was a three-card monte?! The GOP, that's who. Line forms to the right, marks. People talk about Bush's unwavering confidence -- that's right, he's a confidence man alright, working the con.

And count on the GOP to flip-flop on the War on Terror after 2008, to try to make the Democrats look as bad as possible, and on the Democrats to help the GOP in this effort, if they don't get a clue, and stop being such easy marks.

Maybe when Bush said "We" he was referring to the defense/war industry, the private contractors? They certainly are kicking ass, making money hand over fist. By any yardstick, or by bucketloads of billions of dollars spent, military industrialism got a real shot in the arm with the Bush League, maybe a money hole that'll be multigenerational in scope, if Bush/Cheney have their way.