The Hightower Report: All Hail King George

[PhilipShore]

The Hightower Report
Jim Hightower
January 20, 2006

http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2006-01-20/pols_hightower.html

Well, gosh, says George W., I can declare parts of the Bill of Rights null and void if I want to because I'm the commander-in-chief, don't you know, and that gives me all the authority I need.

Well, gosh-right-back-at-you, George – you're merely a president, not a monarch, and even presidents are not above the law, much less above the Constitution.

At issue is Bush's convoluted claim that he has a perfect right to unleash his national security agency on a secret mission to spy on American citizens. Even though a president can readily get a court order for such surveillance, King George has proclaimed that he don't need no stinking court order: "Do I have the legal authority to do this?" asked the petulant president when confronted. "The answer is, absolutely." He said he'd been told it was OK by his crack legal team of Alberto "See No Evil" Gonzales and Harriet "I Adore You" Miers.