A president cannot have dictatorial powers, because he is fallible, not every time, but enough times so that his decisions and actions should be skeptically and seriously scrutinized for errors in judgment, analytical diligence, perception, or the emotional state that is clarifying or obfuscating the probability of a negative or positive outcome. Apparently, enough people believe that an acceptable cost/benefit ratio currently exists.

If any of our leaders are basing their decisions on an ideological or religious concept they must be immediately institutionalized for thirty days of observation, at which point a committee decides whether to extend the examination for an additional thirty days. If at the end of sixty days there remain questions as to the subject's suitability for reintroduction a six month extension may prove necessary.

If there has been no improvement after the eight months, the subject is removed from his or her government duties until suitable employment can be found. Common causes for termination from government positions are megalomania, paranoia, sociopath disorder, unresolved Oedipal complex, Kleptomania, pyromania, fundamentalism, sadism, bestiality, psychosis, compulsive onanism, perfectionism, (because it is delusional,) inappropriate innocence, and numerous unpaid parking tickets.

Ideologues in their own right. But an appropriate title for any post from the right libertarian quarter.

Gene Healy...It’s All About Me

[...}

Also, Glenn Greenwald has kind words about Cult today on his blog, in the midst of a nice dissection of McCain’s speech of yesterday on judicial nominations.

Finally, if you’re sick of the self-promotion, I’ll leaven it with a little self-criticism. In the Reason article, I spend a few paragraphs talking about the political aftermath of Katrina, and how the president pushed for, and got, vast new powers to use the military to keep order domestically in the wake of a natural disaster. Very few people noticed the provision when it was slipped into a defense authorization bill signed the same day as the Military Commissions Act, but the new exception to the Posse Comitatus Act was significant, and a great example of how presidents are driven to seek new powers when faced with a public that holds them responsible for acts of God. Yeah, well, very few people–including me–noticed it when Sen. Patrick Leahy helped get that provision repealed a few months back. I didn’t know that–since the changes were technically to the Insurrection Act, they didn’t come up in my Google News Alert for “Posse Comitatus”–and I wrote those paragraphs as if the law was still in force. So, sorry about that. Congress. It screws me even when it’s doing something good...

http://genehealy.com/2008/05/its-all-about-me-2/

Maybe Americans just expect a president to respond to emergencies in a manner other than catatonic paralysis (My Pet Goat), or fiddling like Nero (Katrina).

Great journalism at the Arkansas Times.

-- sysprog

Arkansas: The answer to the question I posed on a previous thread. A totally red state, usually guaranteed to vote Republican in any presedential election (except for former Arkansas governor Bill Clinton, who carried the state by comfortable margins in 92 and 96), with nothing but Democrats in every major state office from the Governor on down, in the state legislature and every federal representative, save one, John Boozman. Curious. Arkansas certainly isn't a bastion of liberalism like Massachusetts.

...respond to emergencies in a manner other than catatonic paralysis ..."

Maybe Americans expect their government to not start conflicts or cause emergencies. I realize that big-government-worshipers have trouble with the concept of being friendly to others until they give you a real reason not to be friendly, but most Americans really do think their government is doing all it can to avoid armed conflict.

Boy, is the public in denial.

Jim M. is trucking along in tow, blowing the 18-wheel horn behind Timberman. Someone needs to keep W.T. awake at the wheel. Mr W.T. sucks a plastic pacifier that he found on the bathroom shag-rug at the Sunday School nursery. He also puffs illegal cigars that are made in America, and smuggled across the border from Iran. It's a long story about lethal second-hand smoke from Saudi Arabia/USA's Wall Street profiteers (80's).

Jim M. is vigilant and keep William from sideswiping ambulances, school busses, and cop cruisers. Anyone who reads comments from a cell phone is needing Jungian therapy, or should consider converting to Orthodox Catholicism? Next, Arizona McCain will be reading a cell-jello-prompter machine? Great. A speech read from the telephone book is nonviolent rhetoric.

Mr. McCain and William Timberman can carpool to save gas. Both of these Arizona citizens can drink and drive while sharing the same baby bottle of Sunsweet 100% Prune Juice (not from a concentrate). Both drink and drive. What messes.

The elderly waitresses along the Interstate report William has a chronic and severe dose of old-timers disease. He's a calm elder. Prune juice sedates. The pimples and wrinkles on his snout look like a red clown neon lightbulb that annoys them. The cooks in the roadway diners say W.T. come back into the kitchen to make sure the politico's cooks don't spit on folks burnt pancakes.

`

P.S. There are others ya' wonder what ever happened to them? W.T. is the blue cheese breath Uncle ya's never appreciated until he learned to floss his teeth. One person I also wonder about. But there are many... She the girlfriend you never dared ask out for FEAR of rejection in the first grade... IntroGirl?

Extrovert`Girl is a good mommy and her mother is also lovable. I love grandmothers.

Well, and the first morn birds have begun to sing outside. I love this time of the morning,

No veer off the topic.

No veer off the road.

Yes, Goobers.

-Comment Section Request-

Thanks, ... Protracted personal bickering is not a good fit here and I am surprised and elated to see something done about it and I would expect that many observers would agree. ... Thanks for addressing this issue. -- Northwestwoods

It will take a public warning or two to whoever starts these things. It just takes telling the next offender, "hey, here is your only warning" when the first offensive post gets put up. It does no good to wait until the party attacked responds and then nail that second guy --- that will make it worse in the long run. For obvious reasons, I think.