What surprises me most about the fact that the Bushies have been spying on Americans, is that anyone is surprised at all.

Apparently, the lessons of Watergate, which occurred barely a generation ago, were not learned, or were simply forgotten.

Simply put, unchecked executive power leads to abuses. Every time. Whether the approaching menace providing cover for the power grab is the Soviet Union, a militant anti-war movement, or global Jihadism, the result is the same:

An unfettered Presidency leads to the loss of our civil liberties.

Maybe, just maybe, with the Senate now rejecting renewal of key provisions of the Patriot Act, the Congress will begin to fulfill its constitutionally mandated duty of providing a check against executive power. As much as Dick Cheney would love to have an "Imperial Presidency", we are not Rome.

Yet.  ¶ 9:56 AM