Laws mean nothing within themselves. It's who's above them and who's under them that matters. Laws exist to stratify societies. There are those who make the laws, who are above them, and those the laws are made to control, who are under them. For the past century or so some societies have been trying to place more and more people under the law and fewer people above. In some countries, like the United States, attempts have even been made to place some of those who make the laws under them with marginal success, which has only led to confusion. Congressmen do not expect to have to obey the laws they make, and often even put in loopholes for themselves when crafting them. And presidents, Bush in particular, can write signing statements that declare, "This is the law of the land for everyone but me." It's not hypocrisy, it's the political pecking order. It might be instructive to go to the BBC website and read about the Thai rich boy who deliberately ran his car into a crowd, killing a woman. No one expects him to pay for his crime, not even the surviving daughter of the woman he crushed. It's really that way everywhere. Status is determined by the laws you can break with impunity. By that standard George W. Bush has achieved a rank unparalleled in our history. What's more, he has resurrected a third tier of society some thought had become extinct, those who are beneath the law, for whose treatment there are no rules. Truly, we have not seen his like in this country before. However, in early 20th Century Germany and Russia, and in many Middle Eastern countries and parts of Africa, his type has emerged. I suggest that he and Cheney be stuffed and mounted in the Smithsonian for the instruction of future generations.

"Status is determined by the laws you can break with impunity. By that standard George W. Bush has achieved a rank unparalleled in our history. "

I agree with what you say about status. It's been obvious for a long time that justice is bought and sold in this country on a regular basis, it all comes down to who can afford the better lawyer(s).

But Bush achieving that rank? I think VP Cheney did him one better by declaring he's not fully part of the executive branch, or legislative. The Constitution is so vague on what the office of VP literally entails that Cheney has just carved whatever niche out of it that he wanted for himself, now he's even more untouchable than Bush.

I couldn't agree more with apropos1. There's one person in this country who has beaten even Dubya in terms of being 'untouchable'. That is, without a doubt, Mr. Dick Cheney.