GREAT DILEMMAS NEVER CEASE

When George W. Bush was appointed president, he, like all federal officials, took an oath of office in which he swore to "uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States." In fact, I even heard him recite that oath with my own ears, and he actually got all of the words right.

Imagine my shock, then, to have come across two astounding quotes attributed to the same George W. It is not possible that he actually said these things, yet the editor of Capitol Hill Blue, a highly respected, politcally agnostic, publication, cites three solid sources who were all present at a meeting in the Oval Office when the words were uttered. Apparently, Republican leaders told Bush that his stubborn, unyielding push to get the most onerous provisions of the Patriot Act renewed without protection for civil liberties was likely to alienate the Conservative wing of his party that was stilled miffed over his candidacy of Harriet Miers for Supreme Court Justice. W's unbelievable response was: "I don't give a Goddamn, I'm the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way."

An aide to the President then made the following point: "Mr. President, there is a valid case that some of the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution." Whereupon it was reported that Bush screamed: "Stop throwing the Constitution in my face; it's just a Goddamned piece of paper."

All this occurred before the stunning revelation that Bush has since 9/11 personally and secretly authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on telephone calls and read emails of people within the United States without obtaining judicial search warrants as specifically required by law.

Bush sought to justify his unconstitutional and perhaps criminal actions with the usual rhetoric about his being the Commander-in-Chief whose duty it is to defend America from another terrorist attack. He has used the same logic to explain why it is OK to hold prisoners for years without charging them with any crimes  and without allowing them access to legal counsel. He has had no problem with condoning torture, and, in so doing, thumbing his nose at U.S. and International law. He has encouraged the Pentagon to amass personal files on millions of American citizens, the military to spy on innocent Americans and the FBI to get into bank statements and other financial records in secret.

This administration, as everyone knows by now, came to Washington with a far-reaching agenda. But when a president swears an oath ("so help me God") to uphold the Constitution and then waives that Constitution when it gets in his way, then it's time to revisit the 'I' word. Impeachment is a serious matter; so is the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.

The irony of all this is, of course, that George Bush is big on democracy in Iraq while showing outright contempt for it here at home.

When the great abdicators, otherwise known as Congress, return to Washington in January, I trust they will educate W. on the significance of the Constitution and what it has meant to this country for over 200 years, and what it means for him personally to disregard it. My only regret is that should Bush be kicked out of office, we'd be stuck with the snarling Cheney. Great dilemmas never cease.

03/26/2006