Yup, Bush and Co. ARE that absurd

Although I am not given to political blogging, being staunchly liberal, I am no fan of the Bush administration but am not (relative to many bloggers and friends of mine) particularly political about it. I have become a bit more so over the last 3 months, as the fight between Congress and the White House over the budget (in which the White House recently triumphed) essentially stalls all new scientific grant authorization until the NIH has a budget. Bush it seems, is actually strongly opposed to increased federal research funding, preferring to throw enormous amounts of money at an essentially unwinnable, endless war against an idea rather than to work on solving medical, energy and other problems through research and the development of new technology (being a scientist I am admittedly biased about this point). This very personal effect of Bush's intransigence has given me more impetus to examine and subsequently dislike out idiot-in-chief as well as his ridiculous administration, which over the last eight years has made the US government a private playground for the friends of "those-in-charge", and turned the US government into a sort of bad joke around the world, exhausting all good will gained in the 90's and all the sympathy and support that poured out over 9/11 (I shudder to even write the numbers as they have become such a travesty, and excuse for almost everything semi-corrupt or ridiculous that the White House wants to pull).

In addition, they have thoroughly dishonored and embarrassed the institutions of the presidency and the executive branch of government, moving the US far, far away from being the flagship of democracy that it could be and into the realm of the scandal-ridden, nepotistic, semi-authoritarian governments we are trying to "save" so many countries from around the world. Seemingly in honor of this , Slate magazine has published in their annual top ten list, the top ten ridiculous legal arguments the Bush administration has made in 2007, and it is well worth a look. My favorite is number 8 ... clearly the vice-president is not part of the executive branch. Its obvious. I am not sure why the previous 42 presidents over the last 224 years did not see this.

Keep in mind that there are many, many more stupid arguments Bush and Co. have made over the course of the last 7 years, trying to use the letter of the law to subvert its spirit, generally for their own ends ... but these are just the best ones FROM ONE YEAR ... no other administration in history has made this many ridiculous arguments throughout the entire presidency. So after you read these and get righteously angry, or sigh in quiet desperation, or laugh hysterically at the farce that has become our government, remember the feeling and start working to change it. We only have to weather one more year of this and then we can get the country back on track, so lets make sure we do that ...