Reply #19: They have wanted....

[tirechewer]

The idiots have wanted to "enlarge" the presidency since Nixon. They tried first with Nixon and his dirty tricks and his lies and wiretapping and covert surveillance of ordinary Americans. They continued the trend with Reagan. He was never really in charge of anything though. He was in first stage Alzheimer's when he was elected. Remember how he would get confused if someone mixed up his cue cards, and how his events were invariably staged? It was not as obvious as it is with Bush, but his press conferences and other appearances were carefully choreographed so he knew exactly what would happen next.

When Bush stole the first election, the powers of the presidency were already more expansive than they had ever been. Cheney and Bush want to turn this in to a dictatorship with the far right wing in charge and the rest of us following like good and docile little sheep. The events of 9/11 gave them so many different ways to manipulate our fears of the unknown and to twist their actions into "defense" of the US born out of necessity.

The thing is, that Watergate started very slowly too. A small revelation here and there and pretty soon all of the corruption and machinations came gushing out and everything was exposed for exactly what it really was. It took forever to get Nixon out of office, but we did. Now we have that precedent to draw on.

Bush and Cheney will posture and twist the truth into lies and do the dance of the desperate for all it's worth, but I don't think this story will die or be forgotten. There are too many people who remember the spying during Viet Nam (which started with Lyndon Johnson), Watergate, the corruption of Iran/Contra under Reagan. With Reagan's personality and advisors who were not barking mad they were able to turn it around and escape the taint somehow.

Bush and Cheney, however, are barking mad and their advisors are no better and they will keep pushing and pushing beyond the point where they shred whatever credibility they have left with the majority of the American people. Congress will not take any real action against them now. They are struggling with their own corruption scandals and misplaced loyalties and power fantasies. But, hopefully, after the midterms things will change and some of them will get turned out like Gingrich did. If that happens, perhaps this mess can be dealt with and this administration can be turned out on their fraudulent butts.

If you have a supreme being, it wouldn't hurt to ask.:headbang: