The attorney firings are just the tip of an enormous iceberg. This is simply the most lawless, most un-American administration in our history. Even Richard Nixon looks like a piker next to George W. Bush and his minions. I saw today that Bush vetoed Congressional legislation that would ban torture, saying,

"The bill Congress sent me would take away one of the most valuable tools in the war on terror . . . so I vetoed it."

Of course, to the administration, it's not torture, it's "specialized interrogation procedures." Perhaps, in typical fashion, they can now refer to it as an acronym, "SIP," and further disassociate it from any meaning or consequence in the real world.

And still, many Americans look on, passive and cow-like, chewing their cud while this rampaging administration dismantles their democracy, violates human rights and institutes a surveillance state before their very eyes. This is an administration that makes an official ceremony out of vowing to violate new legislation from Congress even while going through the motions of signing it into law. Meanwhile, the mainstream press fixates on name-calling spats between Barack and Hillary, then spends the rest of their resources covering another murder of a pretty young blonde.

Our economy is in the tank yet again, we're wasting a trillion dollars trying to mediate a pointless ethnic conflict in the Middle East while our cities go bankrupt and their infrastructure crumbles. People ignore the evidence of simple cause-and-effect right under their noses and cling to the shabbiest scraps of propaganda as if it were a strange kind of insecurity blanket. This country needs a collective slap in the face. Pull yourselves up. Wake up from this stupid, lethargic dream and get things back on track.

"I am not a Republican."

I think many of us are both frustrated and exhausted on the matter of the government's unwillingness to take responsibility for its actions and to adhere to the principle of accountability. Time after time we clamor for accountability while the political parties are only interested in partisan politics and knifing their opponents in the back while frantically trying to get reelected and stay in the path of the gravy train. Money talks, votes walk. That is the essence of the our political system, now.

"The United States still exists."

The GWB admin is a complete failure and has been crimimal. The Iraq invaison was not necessary and the occupation handled very, very poorly. BUT, for political reasons the Dems didn't wish to address these issues (e.g. impeach GWB and Dickhead, or stop funding of the occupation).

Can you name a few actual actions on can take for getting things back on track? e.g. is voting for Obama helping to get things back on track? i.e. is Obama a Dem that will do what he says unlike Nancy, Reid, and other Dem leaders?

OR is there another party or leader that you have in mind or are you calling for a violence overthrow of the system?

But, see, that's kind of how it works. My post is a simple and straightforward statement of principles, whether you agree with it or not. You then try to reinterpret it into a simplistic and essentially meaningless partisan slogan. I'm asking when conservatives will stop playing games, re-defining human rights violations into meaningless terms or acronyms, for example, and simply admit to the egregious wrongdoing that's happening out in plain daylight. It's like you're on drugs or something.

I'm very disappointed in the Democratic leadership. I'm ashamed at how people like Harry Reid, Dianne Feinstein and Sylvestre Reyes have essentially surrendered to the worst excesses of the Bush administration. I think that Democrats like Russ Feingold and even Chris Dodd have tried to show some leadership and fight for their principles, but they've been undermined consistently by their own party. The "blue dog" Democrats are little better than Republicans themselves. Also, I think conservatives should look up to someone like Chuck Hagel, who has shown that it's possible to be a true conservative and still not give in to the un-American extremism of the neocon faction. In my opinion, a lot of these issues, like torture and warrantless surveillance, should horrify conservatives as much as they do moderates and liberals.

With regards to the use of torture it is the American people (a lot of soccer moms) that want to burry their head in the sand. i.e. they do NOT want to know what methods are used. They just want their government to protect them.

You want to believe it is just Cons that feel this way (those 29% morons that still support that asshole moron GWB and his sidekick Dickhead). I believe the vast majority of Americans support 'doing all that can be done,,, just don't tell me what it is'.

If you believe Dems really care about the use of torture on 'terrorist' (in quotes since I don't know what a 'terrorist' is frankly) than to me that would be a partisan slogan. Dems are soccer moms also. They care first about themselves and their families.

It is the Dems that need to stop playing games and DO SOMETHING to undo the damage the GWB admin has done. This is why I voted a Dem ticket in 06.

Now it is a very nice day out and I got get ready for band practice so I want to retain HOPE.

Both of us a disappointed in Dem leadership. Well we both know what to expect from MOST of the GOP (Hagel is an exception).

Well if we cannot depend on Dem leaders, where is the hope?

I agree with your last sentence. My point was is that 'these issues' do NOT horrify most Americans; libs, moderates, or cons.

"My own assessment of reality is objectively correct".

"...institutes a surveillance state..."

Law enforcement is cooking up a new plan to instantly share with each other (and ???) mountains of information about any individual. That should make us safer. I feel so much better.

"Whatever"

The BUSHCO administration is nothing but a CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE that should be prosecuted under the RICO statute. Anyone that doubts that this bunch of liars and thieves are not directly involved in illegal activity must have been living in a cave for the last seven years. If the Democrats had one iota of honesty themselves they would have moved for IMPEACHMENT as their first order of business but being as crooked as the Republicans they did nothing. We lasted 224 years as an "Noble Experiment" to bad Bush greed had to end it!

Just remember, they're doing it for your own good.

"You got me pegged, but I'm not ready to admit it."