The trap has been set.

In 2000, Republicans captured the reins of government and stepped into the “power trap.” Believing that conservatism had triumphed and was here to stay as the dominating political force, they set out to recreate the world to their liking with a go-it-alone, take-no-prisoners approach. They marginalized anyone who disagreed with their policies and rammed their agenda down the throats of the country.

They shredded the Constitution which they claim to be their inviolate bible by turning a blind eye to activities like torture, unlawful imprisonment, and illegal wiretapping, all in the name of security but Ben Franklin summed it up best when he said, “Those who sacrifice liberty for a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

Invoking war powers to justify any and all actions they plunged the country into costly and violent military engagements that have alienated the U.S. to the rest of the world and lowered our standing in the eyes of our allies. The benefits of these actions are still unknown but forcing democracy on people who don’t seem to particularly want it does not seem like a winning strategy to me.

President Bush has placed himself outside of the law by appending signing statements to a plethora of bills passed by Congress, reinterpreting or outright ignoring the document he just signed and making a mockery of the entire process. Injecting partisanship into every aspect of his administration the so-called “uniter-in-Chief” drove a Grand Canyon-sized wedge between those who agreed with him and those who didn’t.

No president should ever wear rose-colored sunglasses but they appear to be standard issue for the current occupant of the Oval Office. Free speech was actively disdained and protesters were arrested, illegally detained and hidden from view in order to maintain the illusion of an agreeable public.

Raising hypocrisy to new heights the Republicans crowed about sanctity of life for the unborn while gleefully signing death warrants for those on death row. I guess you can put a price on a life. If it’s discovered that an innocent man was executed it’s lamented as the price of justice. Instead of working to raise the moral discourse on abortion or providing adoption incentives thereby lowering abortion rates, conservatives continue their slash and burn policy of trying to overturn Roe v. Wade, inviting the return of coathangers and back alley abortions and praising that possible future.

Trillions of dollars have vanished in a sea of appropriately colored ‘red’ ink with no obvious benefits to the American public. Our education is in a shambles, our health care system is crumbling and our retirement system is relying on prayer to see us through. The free market has imploded through corporate greed spurred on by “trickle-down” economics that never quite met the promise of helping the middle and lower class. The conservatism of the last 8 years has bankrupted our country for ourselves and our posterity.

Should the Democrats prevail on November 4th, the trap will be set for them. I have the audacity to hope that they will not spring the trap and that the country will be on a better road than we are on right now.