president dredd strikes again

George W. “I’m-not-above-the-law, I-AM-THE-LAW” Bush has done it again.

After all the whining and braying about renewing the USA Patriot Act, President Judge Dredd signed the negotiated version of the bill recently. Then he quietly released a “signing statement” saying that the law’s provisions requiring him to inform Congress about the way certain aspects of the law are being implemented do not apply to the Lawbreaker-in-Chief. His war powers supersede any attempt by the Legislative Branch at oversight.

In other words, we have a man serving as Super Commander-in-Chief that a majority of Americans believe is incompetent. Of course, our president believes “incompetent” has something to do with bowel control.

The Bush (mis)Administration treats the War Powers Act like an all-purpose Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card. It allows him to tell Congress to kiss his ass if they move to curb his ability to do whatever the hell he wants to do. It allows him to wipe his ass with The Bill of Rights and the Constitution (that damned piece of paper) and ignore court orders telling him to turn over documents.

It’s what allows him to sanction illegal search and seizure raids without a warrant. It allows him to conduct an illegal domestic wiretapping operation. It allows him to outsource security operations to foreign companies with no-bid contracts like the one issued to a Hong Kong company to provide radiation screening for the port system. It allows him to violate the will of Congress to prepare for an illegal war in Iraq under the guise of a war in Afghanistan. It allows him to torture prisoners even as he signs legislation prohibiting that very act.

And no one dare tell the Boy Emperor that he’s wrong.

Just don’t act like this is a surprise. The Bush family has always acted as though it was above the law. The family fortune was gathered by crawling in bed with Nazis in violation of federal sanctions. Attempts by the Securities and Exchange Commission into Bush’s insider trading problems were quietly quashed at the highest levels by his daddy. No matter what business he ran into the ground, there was always someone around with Saudi money to bail him out. And of course, his oath to serve in the Air National Guard meant nothing – he walked away from that obligation when his commanders had the gall to order all pilots to undergo drug testing.

And don’t be surprised to learn that Barbara Bush’s ballyhooed contribution to survivors of Hurricane Katrina turned out to be a tax-deductible contribution to the President’s brother, Neil – think of it as a no-bid contract for his software company. As we know, people who are homeless and jobless are in dire need of software.

In the end, there will be massive Congressional investigations into the Bush (mis)Administration abuses of presidential war powers. It will lead to a fundamental effort to outline in black and white just what powers a President has and does not have in the case of war. There will no doubt be lengthy indictments over these outright abuses.

In the meantime, remember these abuses when the right-wing religious Taliban in this country question anyone’s patriotism who questions George W(alks on Water) Bush. Remember that when President Dredd goes on television and questions the Patriotism of news organizations that cover such extremely subversive things as, well, the news. Remember that when he tells you that, even though Iraqi Sunnis are battling Iraqi Sikhs, it’s still not a Civil War. Remember that when Bush and his cronies demagogue Democrats for daring to hold a Republican (mis)Administration accountable to the rule of law.

A rule of law that does not apply to George W. Bush.

We must make certain that it applies. And applies especially to George W. Bush.

More soon.