The Democrats are not just "enabling", they don't "lack backbone" and they sure as hell are not worried about losing seats.

Like Bush and the rest they are worried about getting indicted. I have no evidence, how could I, but it seems clear to me that what happened in regards to Bush spying on Americans was done with Democratic assistance. Active assistance. If any laws were broken, and they were, then the democrats who participated are culpable.

That is their first motivation, protecting themselves. And as others have postulated, this expansion of powers will be of little benefit to Bush and his gang. No, it is the Democrats who will benefit. Obama will take office a virtual dictator, he will be the Unitary Executive. He can wage war at will, spy, lie, and kill; unhindered and virtually unquestioned by the Vichy media organs. His power will be immense. He wants this, and has enabled it. Without his help and his vote, this bill would not have passed.

I was willing to give Obama the benefit of a doubt. I still am, but have retreated greatly from that position. It was shocking to see him prostrating himself at the feet of AIPAC and Israel - repeatedly. When Obama says he supports Israel and will defend them at any cost, we must understand that this may, and probably will, mean "supporting" them in their attack on Iran, and their illegal acts of colonization and collective punishment. Iran is another "project" about which he says little and clearly does not oppose in any constructive way.

I am not sure how I feel about Cindy Sheehan replacing Nancy Pelosi. But she has filed the necessary papers to challenge Pelosi for her seat in the House in November.

Sheehan is running against expressly because of Pelosi's refusal to impeach Bush. Her failure to table such a motion is, in itself, the only count in the indictment that anyone could require. Now she has shown herself, yet again to be a Bush enabler, and probably a co-conspirator in warrantless spying, she really needs to go.

Cindy needs signatures, which she will have no problem getting, but more importantly she will require money. Give if you can.

In fact I would love to see the election of Cindy Sheehan given a lot of focus; what better way to show these Vichy swine that their cowardly and illegal collaborations will not stand.

Pelosi, Reid, and many other democrats were complicit in spying on Americans and lying the United States into an immoral war. Now they have just given not just Bush and his corporate friends, but themselves, immunity for serious crimes that they have committed. It's astonishing; and it's a very bad precedent.

I never heard of Lou Bayard, but I know Gore Vidal, and he is a great man.

So Louis wants to get all rebarbative with Mr. Vidal around his thoughts on 9/11 truth. Just because you don't agree, and it's Salon policy to denigrate truthers; gives you no license to dismiss so disparagingly what Mr. Vidal believes.

Instead of dismissing him like a doddering old fool, you would do well to consider what he says seriously. Mr. Vidal has thought about, and researched this issue; as you clearly have not. I'd love to see you debate him on the issue. He'd rip you up. He has walked the corridors of power with the elites, he is one, although in rebellion -- he knows who they are, how they think, and the truly heinous lengths to which they will go to maintain and grow their power.

9/11 Truth is a serious issue, and what happened that day is perhaps the most serious question of our age. There are many unanswered questions. Your arrogance is showing Lou, and it's not pretty.

Thanks. I have read your other posts about 9/11 and respect your opinions, it takes guts and intellectual courage to even speak about it, especially here.

I don't mind at all when people disagree with me about this issue, as long as they have done their research.

What worries, and really annoys me, is this cultural meme that has taken hold about 9/11 truth that allows otherwise intelligent, educated people to simply dismiss dead serious questions based on research, logic and empirical evidence with idiotic duckspeak like, "ha ha, where's your tinfoil hat", or worse, greasy insinuations that one of the greatest minds in America has gone senile.

9/11 Truth is officially banned at Daily Kos and gets short shrift at Huffington. At Salon it is not banned, but I have yet to see anyone get up on their hind legs and take a serious run at the issue. Glenn Greenwald, whom I respect immensely, has asked that his loyal band of posters not discuss the issue at all. NOT, because he is part of the conspiracy, but because he knows that willful fools will dismiss him absolutely; and worse they will use his mere acceptance of a discussion to attack him viciously and violently -- as Bayard so shamefully did to Mr. Vidal's ideas in his article.