Shifting sands

A few short years ago I never would have thought I would be agreeing with Libertarians more than people who call themselves Democrats. A few short years ago I never dreamed I would be blasting a member of the DLC and then in the very next post telling you that a post by Andrew Sullivan on the same topic was a must read. Well here it is, the The De-Throning of King George is insightful and a must read.

The first is that this war has no clearly defined enemy and no clearly defined end-point. So the presidential over-reach was particularly grave because it threatened a permanent expansion of law-free executive power (which is another word for an elected tyranny). As Orwell understood, a permanent war is integral to the maintenance of tyranny; and in our current predicament, vigilance is warranted perhaps more than in any previous, more discretely formulated conflict.

There is also clear evidence that much of what this president attempted was not simply a good-faith attempt to protect American civilians. It was a deliberate attempt to expand executive authority, promoted by radical theorists of state power, and fomented by a cabal of dead-enders, bent on avenging Nixon. The intent of Rumsfeld, Cheney, Addington, Cambone, Yoo, and the other advocates of an untrammeled executive was the acquisition of unaccountable power. In wartime, such dangerous characters are even more of a threat, because they can use the cover of security to seize new prerogatives.

This is just a short snip, go read the entire thing.