The Republican Ideology of the Total State

I laughed out loud (yes, a literal LOL) at this punchline from Anthony Gregory:

On Monday, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, one of the few men who could make a libertarian miss John Ashcroft, defended the president's dictatorial power grab by invoking precedent: "President Washington, President Lincoln, President Wilson, President Roosevelt have all authorized electronic surveillance on a far broader scale," Gonzales said.

Putting aside the absurdity of George Washington in the late 18th century authorizing "electronic surveillance on a far broader scale" than what Bush has done, we see here a truly unpleasant line of argument: If the very worst presidents of American history did it, then President Bush can do it too.

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Update: