Republican President breaks law; Republican Congress amends law to "legalize" the lawbreaking retroactively; Republican Congress holds no hearings. So much for "the rule of law" (remember that one?) So much for the Constitution. As the Times whimpers:

FISA does not in any way prevent Mr. Bush from spying on Qaeda members or other terrorists. The last thing the nation needs is to amend the law to institutionalize the imperial powers Mr. Bush seized after 9/11.

It may be the last thing we need, but we're going to get it anyhow. Thanks, moderate Republicans!

Remember how, with the Republicans, we start out by using "over the top", Ungracious rhetoric--my goodness, even snark--and then it all comes true?

This is another case.

"The Bush administration is an outlaw regime." Over the top? Not Civil? No. It all came true.

NOTE The appalling fuckup of the illegally "passed" Budget bill is a second case of Republican lawlessness. Sensing a pattern? And of course, we can look to Bush's unilateral abolition of the Geneva Convention, a signed treaty, and the subversion of the chain of command to permit torture, as further examples. In the first part of his regime, the Republicans only destroyed the Constitution abroad. Now they've moved on, and are destroying it at home.