The imperial presidency

The port deal just the latest outrage from the president who would be king

Let’s measure how far we’ve gone down the road to imperial government under the reign of King George the W: Start with 9/11, when al-Qaeda operatives crash-bombed America. In response, George W. misused and fabricated foreign intelligence in order to mislead the nation in order to attack Iraq — a country that had nothing to do with 9/11 or al-Qaeda. More than 2,200 American citizens have now been killed in his war of lies, which he now calls a “fight for freedom.” Meanwhile, in the name of this phony freedom fight, the Bushites have suspended some of our real freedoms. For example, George has illegally been using the National Security Agency to spy secretly on American citizens who have no connection whatsoever with terrorists. When confronted, Bush imperiously snarled at the majority of Americans who oppose this unconstitutional spying program, branded critics treasonous, and royally asserted that he has an inherent presidential power to usurp our right to be free of snooping by his government. Now we learn that Bush approved the takeover of six U.S. ports by a company owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates. These are the same oil monarchs who helped finance the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11! So much for homeland security! Tut-tut, says Bush — this is “a legitimate deal that will not jeopardize the security of the country.” We’re told that we should just trust him. Our loved ones are dying in Iraq, our phones are secretly tapped, and our ports are secretly dealt to the UAE without our even being allowed to know what the deal entails. All of this is the new “freedom” imposed on us by a president who would be king.

The imperial presidency

The port deal just the latest outrage from the president who would be king

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Also from Jim Hightower: