New Year's Eve, 2005

2006: Crisis Year for US Constitutional Republic

We find ourselves at a crucial moment for the survival of our nation.

The Bush Administration has declared itself to be above the law. They claim the authority to spy on American citizens, the authority to wage military attacks and invasions pre-emptively, the authority to call anyone a "terrorist" and then throw them in jail indefinitely without legal counsel. We have watched the spectacle of top government officials defending their right to torture prisoners. We have seen Bush rule by secret executive orders that flaunt the law while his Attorney General issues opinions that attempt to justify the illegal acts by baroque interpretations and hair-splitting technicalities.

Bush's exercise in nation-building through invasion is bearing its bitter fruit although he has no plan to disengage our troops. In Bush's highly-touted December elections, the Iraqis have voted along ethnic and religious lines. The early results indicate that Iraq will have an Islamist government led by the Shiite majority. The only thing the Iraqis can agree on is that they want the US to leave, the sooner the better. The new government is every bit as brutal as the one it replaces; we have learned of torture and murder carried out by US-trained Iraqi police in the dungeons of the Interior Ministry smack dab in the middle of the Green Zone. Meanwhile, the Islamists in Baghdad are biding their time, waiting for the moment when they can join forces with their brethren in Tehran.

It is no exaggeration to say that America is in crisis. At issue is whether or not we can maintain a multi-party, multi-branch representative democracy. Our Executive branch is operating outside and in direct violation of the law. The opposition party is weak, disorganized, and afraid to speak directly to Bush's seizure of power. Our electoral system has been co-opted by a shadow government derived from the unholy marriage of corrupted politicians and well-moneyed business interests. True power is wielded by un-named plutocrats in secret meetings while the corporation press merrily parrots sound bites and propaganda doled out by "government spokesmen speaking on condition of anonymity".

The Bush administration is in damage control mode. Unfortunately, it is trying to limit damage to itself, not our nation's political system or our credibility to the rest of the world as the champion of democracy and freedom. Revelations about domestic spying, the abysmal outcome of the Iraq mis-adventure, RoveGate, worldwide torture palaces, and many other scandals have leaked into the public's consciousness through cracks in Bush's Teflon mantle caused by high gas prices and impotent responses to Katrina and Rita. But since Katrina and Rita are no longer newsworthy and gas prices have fallen to a new norm, it appears that the public may return to a post-holiday business-as-usual posture.

The Founders created a system of checks and balances designed to prevent any branch of government from seizing control over the other two.  Bush has managed to hang onto power long enough to stuff the Supreme Court with sympathetic justices. That leaves it to the Legislative branch to stand firm against the assault on our way of life.

In 2006, we will find out if they have the stomach and spine to perform their duty.