Bush, Republicans, and Judas Priest: Breaking the law, breaking the law

Whenever Bush or a Republican member of either the House or Senate appears before cameras, the chorus from an old Judas Priest tune starts running through my head:

Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law

It doesn't matter what the topic is, the American people know that if Bush and Republicans are publicly discussing an issue, it is because they have or are, somehow, breaking the law. In matters large-n-small, Republicans have implemented a strategy of breaking the law, breaking the law.

1. Illegally imprisoning US citizens without a trial
2. DOD and FBI spying on Quakers and vegans
3. Torturing prisoners at Abu Ghraib
4. Torturing prisoners at Guantanamo Bay
5. Misrepresenting intelligence in order to go to war
6. Illegally outing a CIA agent (Plame) while working on Iran's nuke program
7. Trying to cover up their Katrina-related incompetence
8. Bribing the Abramoff prosecutor with a judgeship so that he leaves the case
9. Illegally funneling money (laundering) to Texas elections, i.e., DeLay
10. Taking bribes from nefarious "Defense Contractors", i.e., Cunningham
11. Receiving insider trading information on supposedly "blind trusts" i.e., Frist
12. Hunting lawyers, eh-hem, quail without a license
13. Gonzales, during confirmation hearings for AG, lying to the Senate while under oath
14. Cheney meeting secretly with Big Oil executives
15. Bush spending $1.6 billion of taxpayer money on propaganda
16. Abramoff's using close ties to the Republican Congress to exchange votes for cash
17. Abramoff's $100,000 given to the Bush administration who covered up their close ties
18. Making illegal, no-bid contracts with Halliburton for Iraq
19. Using the NSA to conduct an illegal, domestic spy program

The list could go on forever and one day, perhaps, the country will find that it does.

Generally speaking, this administration and the Republicans always blame others for their behavior and actions. Bush blamed "the intelligence community" for his administration's "cherry-picking" of Iraq intelligence. DeLay blamed the prosecutor for his having laundered money. The White House initially blamed the man Cheney shot for Cheney having shot him. While pretending that Gonzales didn't outline Bush's "authority" to order torture, Bush blamed military non-rates (low-ranking enlisted) for his torture programs at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. And Katrina, they said, was the fault of everyone involved -- except the President.

Bush and Republicans have done other nefarious deeds, too, which, though not strictly illegal, can certainly be considered downright stygian in nature. While Big Oil has continued to rake in record profits, Bush and Republicans, in recent budgets, have provided EXXON et al with billions upon billions tax cuts while slashing government spending for those most in need. Dirtiest of all, however, has been the way Republicans have wantonly manipulated people's fear of terrorism, to get them to vote GOP. It doesn't get any lower than that.

Crazy as it seems, with such an obvious array of illegal and disreputable acts before them for more than four years, the American people remained oblivious to Bush and Republican shenanigans. That, however, is not the case today. People are finally catching on to Bush and Republicans and it is being reflected in the polls. In no state is this realization better represented than Ohio.

George W. Bush's current approval rating in Ohio, according to Survey USA, stands at a lowly 37 percent. Senator Mike DeWine of Ohio, who had been in a tough reelection fight until Paul Hackett withdrew from the race, increased his lead over Democratic challenger Sherod Brown from only 5 percentage points to nine. But now, with Bush's Ohio approval so low, DeWine has taken the huge risk of becoming Bush's lapdog regarding the illegal NSA spy program. In a stunning statement, while appearing on the Republican FOX News Network, as reported by Think Progress, DeWine defended Bush's illegal domestic spy program saying:

"You know, there's been some controversy about whether or not this program is legal or is not legal. I think we need to get beyond that. And the vast majority of American people believe these calls need to be listened to. But we don't want to have any kind of debate about whether it's constitutional or not constitutional. So I think we need to put that beyond us."

DeWine's statement highlights, as nothing before ever has, the extreme arrogance of the Bush administration and, moreover, the Republican Congress' willingness to either commit crimes or cover-up Bush's crimes. DeWine thinks the American people need to "get beyond" whether or not what Bush -- President of the United States -- is doing is legal or illegal? DeWine doesn't think the country should have a debate on whether or not what Bush -- President of the United States -- is doing is "constitutional or not constitutional"?

Can you hear it? Judas Priest, clear as a crisp Minnesota wintry day...

Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law