by shamanic
Reading Bruce Fein's examination of just one of the many ways that the Bush Administration revels in lawlessness brought on the kind of morose contemplation that has become a hallmark of my political thinking in the last few years.
It's that way for everyone who loves America's historic call for freedom and opportunity, isn't it? Popping from Fein's piece to Andrew Sullivan's blog, I hit upon this entry and felt the sense of common purpose that Sully's best writing often evokes for me.
I hate that when I chronicle these abuses, I can't help but arrive at a partisan conclusion. I would like to write something other than "the GOP is institutionally corrupt", but I can't see my way to a different position. The GOP is institutionally corrupt. What else can you say for a party that works tirelessly to prevent "the wrong people" voting, that politicizes every aspect of public policy, that fosters war fever or terrorism fears whenever the polls dip, that tosses seemingly unassailable legal precedents like habeas corpus out the window, that not only allows a president to disappear people but cheers him in doing so, and that turns the proud men and women of America's armed services into simple torturers?
What can you say about that except that the GOP is simply, thoroughly, completely, brokenly institutionally corrupt?
I guess it's true that Republicans support small government. By ushering in the cult of personality of George W. Bush and surrendering the power of the Congress they controlled for most of his presidency, they effectively reduced the size of government to the executive branch, with the intelligence agencies and military working as support staff.
Those of us who love America can only watch this spectacle with dismay and broken hearts. It's a sad time for Americans.
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