Endgame for the Constitution
By Paul Craig Roberts
05/02/06 "Counterpunch"
-- -- The Bush administration has done more damage to Americans
and more harm to America's reputation than any other
administration in history. Yet, a majority of Republicans still
support Bush. This tells much about blind party loyalty.
By encouraging the move offshore of American jobs and
manufacturing, Bush has run up tremendous trade deficits that
have undermined the world's confidence in the dollar as the
reserve currency. Recently, both Chinese and Russian government
officials warned of the dollar's shaky status. The fall in
confidence in the dollar is evidenced by the sharp run-up in the
price of gold. In January 2001 the price of gold was about $240
per ounce. Today the price is $660 per ounce.
The price of gasoline has risen from around $1.30 per gallon to
over $3.00 per gallon. Obviously, Bush's war in the Middle East
did not ensure the oil supply.
On Bush's watch, three million US manufacturing jobs have
disappeared. Tens of thousands of highly qualified US engineers
have lost their employment. US job growth has fallen six to
seven million jobs behind population growth. Recent college
graduates are employed as waitresses and bartenders.
Illegal immigration has continued to explode. While Bush spends
$1 trillion and many lives trying to control borders in the
MIddle East, America's borders remain undefended and over run.
Bush advocates amnesty for the illegals who have invaded America
while Bush invades distant countries.
On false pretenses Bush invaded Iraq, a country that comprised
no threat to America. American high explosives have devastated
Iraq and its infrastructure and killed at least 100,000 Iraqi
civilians, people who Bush claims to be bringing freedom and
democracy.
All stability has disappeared from Iraq. Iraqis now live in fear
of one another as well as fear of American troops. On April 28
Iraqi vice president Adil Abdul-Mahdi said that 100,000 Iraqi
families have been uprooted by the sectarian violence unleashed
by Bush's overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
Not content with the uncontrollable mayhem he has brought to
Iraq, Bush hopes to expand the catastrophe by attacking Iran.
The US Secretary of State, sounding like the warmonger she is,
says the US may ignore the United Nations and attack Iran on its
own initiative. This would be the second time that the Bush
administration initiated wars of aggression--war crimes under
the Nuremburg standard established by the US.
Bush claims that he is higher authority than both US law and
international law. In the past, US presidents vetoed laws with
which they disagreed. Bush signs the laws and ignores them.
Bush has declared himself to be the sole judge of the limits of
his powers--a claim that violates Bush's oath of office to
uphold the US Constitution. Bush has set aside the Bill of
Rights by detaining people indefinitely without charges, by
kidnapping and torturing people, and by spying on Americans
without warrants. These are actions that are illegal under law
as well as unconstitutional. All of these violations of law and
the Constitution are serious impeachable offenses.
Yet. Congress is supine as the Bush regime exercises dictatorial
powers. The exercise of these dictatorial powers by the
executive is a far greater danger to American liberty than are
Muslim terrorists.
Bush's apologists claim that only terrorists have anything to
fear. However, unaccountable executive power is inconsistent
with free societies. America is no exception. Unless Bush is
impeached and turned over to the war crimes court in the Hague,
Americans will never reclaim their liberties from an executive
branch that has established itself as the sole judge of the
limits of its powers.
As Jacob Hornberger, president of the Future of Freedom
Foundation wrote last month, "we now live in a nation in which
the president has the omnipotent power to ignore all
constitutional restraints on his power." Bruce Fein, a Justice
Department official in the Reagan administration said that Bush
"is moving us toward an unlimited executive power."
The Bush regime's practice of excessive secrecy and denial of
information to Congress allows the regime to avoid judicial
review of its power claims. Bush ignores Congress and evades the
courts.
When President Richard Nixon made excessive claims for
presidential powers, principled Republicans revolted and helped
to bring down Nixon. Today's Republicans are loyal only to
power. They have no principles. By supporting Bush, Republicans
are bringing down America.
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