WurfWhile

Paul Krugman’s entry for Tuesday, April 27 looks at why the Bush Administration would contest revealing the members of Cheney’s Energy Task Force all the way to the Supreme Court. I think Krugman’s right, it has little to do with a smoking gun and everything to do with the Bush Administration belief in “a doctrine that makes the United States a sort of elected dictatorship: a system in which the president, once in office, can do whatever he likes, and isn’t obliged to consult or inform either Congress or the public.”

What has been most striking about the Bush Administration is its incredible effectiveness in getting what it wants - in that regard it has be an amazing success. From walking away from EPA lawsuits and enforcement against industry, to diverting $700 Million from Afghanistan to Iraq (possibly illegally) without informing Congress (something no one is talking much about in the press - look it up yourself), to using the Department of Homeland Security to get rid of Civil Service protections and likely fair pay, to changing scientific inquiry to benefit industry and the religious right, to the tax cuts, the Bush Administration has done so much, so quickly and single-mindedly that it probably is the most effective administration since Lyndon Johnson’s (whether you agree with the “effect” or not - I profoundly disagree with what the Bush Administration has done). This effectiveness is borne of a faith, and I use that word advisedly, that they are simply right. It shows up in the president claiming he can not think of a single thing he has done wrong. What is all the more amazing is that this is a president who did not win a majority, or even a plurality, of the popular vote - he and his Administration have crafted their dominance through real skill. In fact, what makes this president and administration so objectionable to its critics is the very fact of its effectiveness. People are passionate, because the stakes are high and rising, and the actual loss of life, security and future prosperity mount.