The importance of preventing telecom immunity can hardly be understated. If such a bill passes, the New East German State will be born, and the fear of covert surveillance by your own government will be realized. This is the overarching goal of those in power, to disable resistance to the global plan of dividing resource wealth into a small group of haves, and a large group of have nots. In general, those in Congress and the Senate are already in the have camp, and the expectation that they would prevent legislation that would be beneficial to them is naive.

The issue really boils down to whether or not those elected to power actually represent the people. Exposure of the vote irregularities in the ongoing presidential election is perhaps the only way to change the course of the behemoth that is your government. Activists such as Bev Harris and Brad Friedman desrve great credit for their determination in bringing these issues to light.

It is interesting to watch the Kenyan situation, and see people willing to die because they believe that the election was rigged. In the US, many people seem more apt to switch on the TV and say 'oh well'. Only when people care about the democractric right to chose their own leaders, and to have this done transparently and fairly, will the situation change.

Until recently, no one in the mainstream has discussed the possibility of vote irregularity in the US elections, despite the fact that Jimmy Carter has stated that they do not meet even bare minimum standards for being held democratically. Given that your elections are essentially controlled by private corporations, is this not an issue that should receive top billing until it is put to rest?

Your concluding sentence really nails it on the head. Why indeed, should Joe Klein worry about telling lies, when those politicians about whom he writes also lie and cheat to advance their own agenda?

This has been one of the problems I have with letting Bush and Cheney off the hook without impeachment. It is essentially an agreement to abrogate the rule of law. If they are not impeached, then the democratic Republic is finished.

I wonder how one can advise his children to follow the law, and adhere to a 'good' moral code when the 'leaders' of our human race appear to do neither. Impeachment is not an option. Bush and Cheney must face the consequences of their actions. They should feel lucky if they are only impeached. Hasn't the USA has got fairly significant punishments for treason?

There is no more important issue in American politics than the impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney. Your column simply illustrates that there is one law for the rich and connected, and another for the poor and unconnected.

The clear outcome will be that the rule of law is gone, anarchy will rein, and The American Empire will go the same way as that of Rome.

Impeachment is the only possible way to keep the American experiment of Democracy from collapsing entirely. People need to support Wexler in his quest for impeachment hearings, and pressure those who are not supporting this task.

Momentum is building for impeachment. It will be inevitable. The only thing that is yet unknown is what will be the trigger. Keep up the good work.

The US Empire will go the way of the Roman Empire. It would still be great if Bush and Cheney were impeached though. Enjoy your cogent analysis as usual. Cheers.

It is great to see another identified Canadian on the thread.

Adams, Canada may welcome you, as long as you are not a draft dodger/war resister. Harper is indeed slipping down the slope of fascism, although not as blatantly as Bush, and I don't think we have the same problems that the US has with rigged elections, although I am not well educated on that topic. Increasingly we are moving towards a three party sytem, though, none of which represents the interests of the people. The NDP have moved so far to the centre right, that many of their policies are indistinguishable from the other 2.

The only conclusion I have drawn is that to defeat the enemy, one must know the enemy, and Glenn certainly helps in that regard. There is less and less cover for the elites to hide behind, and eventually that will be their downfall. Educate yourself. Educate others. The rest, as they say, will be history...

I am thankful that the issue of 9/11 is finally getting a little more play in your column. It is, in fact, the linchpin for the entire 'War on Terror', and the 2 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The evidence which is emerging is that the 9/11 Commission was not given all the information required to enable it to do its job, and that there was an attempt to conceal and cover up information, by those closely involved.

It is hard to ignore the fact that attempts to conceal information suggest either incompetence or complicity. If the Bush administration has nothing to hide, should they not convene a new and impartial commission to investigate all the new evidence that has arisen about that tragic day?

I would be satisfied if they could come up with a plausible explanation as to why WTC 7 collapsed. Almost 7 years have elapsed, and no explanation is yet available. The collapse of 7 was not even mentioned in the 9/11 Commission Report.

Even mainstream reporters are eventually going to have to concede that the emperor tortures, lies, spies, and has no clothes. Thanks for your persistent efforts in helping to expose the lies, and return democracy to your country. Magna est veritas, et prevalebit.