Dangers of Cynicism

David Kurtz reminds us of an important point:

"Cynics may argue that those aren't bombshells at all, that the Bush Administration would never investigate itself in these matters. Perhaps so. But this is a case where cynicism is itself dangerous.

"We have now the Attorney General of the United States telling Congress that it's not against the law for the President to violate the law if his own Department of Justice says it's not.

"It is as brazen a defense of the unitary executive as anything put forward by the Administration in the last seven years, and it comes from an attorney general who was supposed to be not just a more professional, but a more moderate, version of Alberto Gonzales (Thanks to Democrats like Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Schumer for caving on the Mukasey nomination.).

"President Bush has now laid down his most aggressive challenge to the very constitutional authority of Congress. It is a naked assertion of executive power. The founders would have called it tyrannical. His cards are now all on the table.

"This is no bluff."

More and more The End of America seems foretelling. The abuses of this admistration threaten to completely disintegrate our democracy; and before health care, before Iraq, this is the greatest problem in our nation. The next president must have the strength and determination to restore the rule of law, checks and balances, and habeas corpus to our system and I can't see McCain or Clinton having the desire to do so. Their ingrained establishment roots and hunger for power makes them unlikely of shirking such tyrannical authority. And while Obama might be just as susceptible to abuse the presidency, his freshness and rehetoric inspire me to believe that he's the best chance we have of restoring our democratic process.