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Originally Posted by Azure
7 min is not a long time.
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You're absolutely right. Which is, in a way, what I was saying originally. What worries me more is the time that had already elapsed by the time Bush found anything out at all. I'm the first to admit that it was a bureaucratic failure, not a personal one.
My opinion on Bush's foreing policy is another story. He gets full credit, and full blame, for what has happened on his watch since 9/11. If we consider Katrina to be a dry run for major disasters/attacks on US soil in the post 9/11 era, then my opinion (like TheCommodoreAfro's) is that indications aren't good. But I hope I'm wrong.
I also think that Bush has trampled on American civil liberties rather more than he probably ought to have. It was Benjamin Franklin who said "Those who would sacrifice liberty for a little security will receive and deserve neither." Franklin, like FDR, is one of my heroes, in part because of his uncanny ability to cut to the quick of issues that are still current today. Indeed, his comment "A good republic, if we can keep it" seems particularly pertinent given the erosion of constitutionally guaranteed rights to privacy in the US, with warrantless wiretapping of phones and god knows what else being engaged in by the NSA.
Yet more alarming? Check out this article in the Boston Globe by investigative reporter Charlie Savage.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/ar...dreds_of_laws/
Here's a quick quote for those who'd rather just skip to the good parts:
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WASHINGTON -- President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution.
Among the laws Bush said he can ignore are military rules and regulations, affirmative-action provisions, requirements that Congress be told about immigration services problems, ''whistle-blower" protections for nuclear regulatory officials, and safeguards against political interference in federally funded research.
Legal scholars say the scope and aggression of Bush's assertions that he can bypass laws represent a concerted effort to expand his power at the expense of Congress, upsetting the balance between the branches of government.
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Even Republican lawmakers are up in arms about this one--though the public is so far barely aware of this shocking power grab.