Tyrannosaurus Bush

One characteristic of Bush administration officials has been their reluctance to leave office. Rumsfeld had to be pushed, hard. Wolfowitz finally left only after months of fighting and pleading. Gonzales will have to be dragged out of the Department of “Justice”. The Worst may be still to come.

Remember how Bush gained office – losing the popular vote but stealing the electoral college by stopping the recount in Florida. James Baker was thawed (partially), reanimated, and won his sole diplomatic victory – not over a foreign power but over the archenemy Democrats. They told the Supreme Scalia to stay the recount then convinced a bare Court majority to stop it. This gang has no compunction about bending the laws and discarding convention to consolidate their hold on power.

They now confront a clear Constitutional barrier – no third term – and popular disgust (“negatives” triple their “positives”). They could nuance the first by flipping the top 2 spots but then the negatives grow worse. A gap of 20% is just too much; it was tough enough overcoming the popular vote in 2000 and gaining a few crucial percentages in Ohio in 2004.

So here's the scenario: uncover a massive terrorist plot and declare marshal law. They've been rehearsing the script with trumped up charges against Walter Mitty terrorists in Florida, New Jersey, and New York. These groups did not have any bombs or even small arms. Think what would happened if Homeland Security zealots “found” a dirty bomb in Chicago or LA? The “protect us from evil” people would bleat for a strong shepherd, no questions asked. Enter Bush, tyrant and savior. Cheney will declare marshal law, then backdate an order signed by Bush. Or not bother.

Let's make sure these dinosaurs go extinct on schedule.