No, Herring, I don't think you are over your head. Obviously one of the reasons that the Clintons want this so bad, that Romney would spend millions of his own to win the job, that you hear people say how "important" this election is, is the fact that the Bush Administration consolidated power in the executive branch and assembled a "toolbox" that gives our president the ability to act like a king and avoid any oversight. For all of the controversy, all of the crimes committed, all of the bitching and moaning that the media or Congress was hindering or attempting to hinder the progress of the Bush Administration, all of the hearings, trials, and questions...the record shows Bushco plowed forward and did everything they wanted, whenever they wanted, and easily put an end to anybody attempting to peek behind the curtain. Gag orders, executive privilege, the Patriot Act, national security, state secrets, e-mails recordings and video being destroyed or just mysteriously missing, refusing to allow testimony, refusing to speak about anything on the record, and destroying our Justice Department...ha...and these are just the things they did right out in the open to put an end to oversight.

The problem becomes they have now set precedent...a most important word in our times...and a Clinton or Romney (and who knows maybe even an Obama) is not going to shrink the powers of the office if they win it. Hell no! They are not going to get elected and say "Hey, Bush gave us the power to be a king, that's wrong let's fix this."

They are going to say "Hey, I can be a better king than Bush!" and then game the system to funnel funds, make deals, and perhaps expand upon what Bush did. This is why I saw it as so important to eliminate Clinton and Romney...it was so obvious these were not people that you would want to have this power.

Really, how often do you see somebody in government looking to shrink the power of their office and allow more oversight? Has anybody in the media even asked any of the candidates running for president if they think the Bush Administration consolidated power in the executive branch and put measures in place to avoid oversight and what they will do to repair this if elected? I watched and read about many of the debates, interviews with these candidates and followed things pretty closely and I don't recall that rather important point being raised.

Is it just a hooray for my team thing? Oh, now a Democrat will have the power Bush had so that'll fix things! Bullshit, Bushco used the power to be self serving to their own agenda (people confuse that with enriching themselves not really the same but yes an investment in the future they want to see and enriching their cronies, including foreign entities, and putting them ahead of our country...which in the long run would benefit their families and friends families, you know like Bandar Bush & President Calderon-Bush etc...) and this is what a Clinton or Romney would do as well.

Hey, if you can leave a neon lit Las Vegas strip surrounded by airport landing lights trail of evidence right out in the open of the crimes you've been committing and dance down it with all your pals while your construction crew makes it ever longer and brighter and never be prosecuted for doing so...well...that's power baby!

Just ask Scooter, he never had to leave the party they just moved him to a room with a different view of the strip.

We have a lot of problems, as many people here keep pointing out. So many in fact it becomes hard to know which to address first. Well, we know we are going to address one in November of 2008...we have a deadline, a date, and we'll have two clear choices. We'll get "change" by default...will it give us more "hope"...I have no idea.

All I can tell you is this election process has been so stupid, so nonsensical, so off the mark, I just don't want to pay attention to it anymore. I'll vote because I do believe that the parties pretty much prefer us not to vote...that's why they make us feel so out of the loop and disgusted...really few things that are so obvious are an accident in politics. Obama looks like the last hope for some sort of change for the better but I'll admit I also feel like his presidency could be an unmitigated disaster.