Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall January 17, 2006 10:42 AM:
The president’s critics are always accusing him of law-breaking or unconstitutional acts and then also berating the incompetence of his governance. And it’s often treated as, well … he’s power-hungry and incompetent to boot! Imagine that! The point though is that they are directly connected. Authoritarianism and secrecy breed incompetence; the two feed on each other. It’s a vicious cycle. Governments with authoritarian tendencies point to what is in fact their own incompetence as the rationale for giving them yet more power. Katrina was a good example of this.
The basic structure of our Republic really is in danger from a president who militantly insists that he is above the law.
A point our diligent newspapers are missing: that the incompetence and arrogance of this administration are part and parcel of the same thing. I wonder though: does JMM think we’ll have a real king in some form or fashion? Can he dismiss Congress? I suppose his majorities could go home, leaving him with an angry rump of Democrats. I just don’t think it’s likely.
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