An honest question...

To those like Ken Mehlman who assert the legality and propriety of the behaviors of the current Administration, I have a thought experiment for you.

You are, by and large, Republican, because virtually every independent (and of course every Democrat) that I know of takes a very dim view of the actions of President Bush, from the warrantless spying to the Valerie Plame affair to torture and extraordinary rendition of suspects to the declaration of a new class of detainees, "enemy combatants" not due any rights or process.

So, sit down, close your eyes, and imagine it's 8 years ago. President Clinton is in office, only instead of being hounded about his sexual improprieties, he's been caught using sweeping warrantless wire taps, asserting his right to order torture, and many of the other things "the left" has been decrying in Bush these last 5 years.

Did your gut just clench? Did you just have a knee jerk "hang the bastard" reaction? Because most of you, if you're honest with yourselves, would have had that reaction had it gone down that way. Or if President Gore had been elected in fact and not merely by the popular vote, and he'd done exactly what President Bush has done.

There are, of course, those few out there who honestly believe that the giving up of personal liberties and freedoms in pursuit of safety is a fair trade. I pity you, but you have the right to your opinion.

But for the rest of you, please open your eyes and realize that it's not OKAY just because it's your guy doing it.

Liam.