The Evil Petting Zoo

The next election is going to be incredibly crucial. Why? Because it's not just going to be about tossing Bush out of office. Right now, it's shaping up to be a battle for the very soul of our nation.

Am I being melodramatic? Maybe. But I'd like you to hear what Romney and Giuliani had to say at a recent Club for Growth meeting:

Crane asked if Romney believed the president should have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens with no review. Romney said he would want to hear the pros and cons from smart lawyers before he made up his mind. Crane said that he had asked Giuliani the same question a few weeks ago. The mayor said that he would want to use this authority infrequently.

Habeas corpus exists in our Constitution for a very good reason. It's there because it ensures that we do not become tyrants. It ensures that we do not fall to the same base autocracy that made our Founding Fathers run the hell away from England in the first place. It's there to make sure that every citizen of the US gets treated fairly and evenly when the possibility occurs that they might be stripped of their freedoms.

And what can Romney and Giuliani tell us about their efforts to respect this part of the Constitution? Well, Giuliani tells us he won't try to break it so much, and Romney says he'll have to find out whether or not he can get away with it before talking to us.

It's not going to end with Bush. This ugly battle we're currently in, one for the very principles upon which our country was founded, is going to continue for years. Bush's administration was just the perfect storm, an environment where these principles could be put into action and flourish unchallenged, if only for a short while. The only way we can win is by showing those who would spit on the Constitution that we will not put up with their bullshit.