How Bush's Sick Joke Became Public Policy
"A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier, there's no question about it."
So declared George W. Bush in July 2001, just weeks prior to 9/11. This was at least the third occasion on which Mr. Bush spoke wistfully, in public and on the record, about exercising dictatorial powers.
Once would be a lame joke; twice, a symptom of a seriously impaired sense of humor. Three times, however, is suggestive of seriously malevolent intentions. In our system of government, which remains in form if not in practice a constitutional republic, chief executives simply do not joke about dictatorial ambitions.
Here's a useful parallel. It is a serious federal offense even to joke about wanting to kill the President of the United States. Doing so even one time is sufficient to provoke a visit from the Secret Service. Were someone to do so three times, he would almost certainly face prosecution, as well as an invasive psychological evaluation.
Bush declares his dictatorial ambitions on CNN.