A comparison

[tevarin]

Bush's administration is nasty and corrupt. He has sacrificed the lives of American soldiers to improve Republican election prospects. He has stained the honor of America with secret arrests and torture. He has pandered to fear, prejudice, and willful ignorance, and he and his closest advisors have badly betrayed their constitutional oaths

Comments

[vrimj]

I would say the difference is not in any internal restraint, in my opinion there are far too many "True Believers" in the Eric Hoffer sense in office right now.

I think the difference is the brilliance of our system and its integrated checks on powergrabs. I has not been completely effective, but it has prevented too much slippage.

I am deeply suspicious of the overreaching claims to executive power. The despot has unlimited executive power, the leader of a nation of humans, with human rights, should never be allowed it.

I am also lerry of people who claim that there is not enough democracy. While I like more direct involvement in issues now that we have the technology to make the representative system archaic,I do think tyranny can come from the majority as well.