Bad Americans

Patrick, over at Clarity and Resolve, distilled what many of us think down to a few well-worded lines:

See, here's the thing: I don't really care if people disagree with the policies of this administration—that's healthy for a democracy, and I don't like any number of positions taken by Dubya. But way too many people have taken it far beyond this natural, healthy spirit of political divergence. Too many spiteful ideologues are working hard against the President's obligation and ability to defend our nation from a ruthless medieval enemy whose rulebook is backward and barbaric. (emphasis mine)

It doesn't matter what your intent is and how noble you feel your actions are in the new normal of post-9/11 America; when you sacrifice objectivity—and yes, principles—to shortsighted, vindictive partisanship you are being a bad American. It's disgraceful.

The rest of the post is a good read, too.

John Schmidt (former Clinton Associate Attorney General), who wrote the Chicago Tribune article Patrick quotes, sums his article up thus:

...we cannot eliminate the need for extraordinary action in the kind of unforeseen circumstances presented by Sept.11. I do not believe the Constitution allows Congress to take away from the president the inherent authority to act in response to a foreign attack. That inherent power is reason to be careful about who we elect as president, but it is authority we have needed in the past and, in the light of history, could well need again.