At first, I was barely interested in the whole "birther" debate, but now, after the last week's reactions to Obama's bland-as-a-mayonnaise-sandwich-on-enriched-white-bread-with-crust-cut-off sandwich speeches, I've come to a hypothesis I would like to share.

Is it possible that the reaction to Obama (as mainstream, unconfrontational and bland as he is) - in the form that he "deserves no respect as a valid President" - is a logical outcome of the desire by a segment of the political spectrum for a Unitary Executive President?

In this mindset, a legitimate Unitary President is all-powerful and so must be faithfully obeyed. Anything else is treasonous at worst, disloyal at best. For these folks, only if the President is NOT legitimate, can he be freely dissented from. So the only legitimate way for a person who believes in the Unitary Exectuive to dissent from the President is for that person to first not agree that individual is a legitimate President.

Put this down as one more bad legacy of the Cheney administration.

Your assignment, if you choose to accept it:

Read the signing statement attached to the just-this-afternoon-signed "SAFE Port Act". Take one drink--Maker's Mark suggested but anything not made by the Jack Daniel's company* is acceptable--every time you run across the phrase "unitary executive."

Make sure you have cab fare or other transportation arrangements back to your abode worked out before you commence playing if you are not there at present. We'll see you sometime tomorrow, because you are just about to get as shitfaced as you have ever been in your life.

Remember the kid games "Simon Says" and "Mother May I"? These are essentially slow-motion races but the catch in both is that forward progress--which is always in the form of some ludicrous maneuver like "scissor steps" or "baby steps" or "giant steps" or skipping or hopping on one foot or the like-- can only be made when a particular rule is obeyed. If the director says "Take four giant steps forward" and you do it....BZZZT! You are busted and must go back, because the director didn't say "Simon says take four giant steps."

This is what our government has been reduced to. A giant fucking game of Simon, or in this case Bush Says. Doesn't matter what the actual action is, be it "take three baby steps toward revoking the Rule of Law" or "jump on one foot off the edge of this cliff into complete one-man rule." Bush can do any goddamn thing he wants and all the majesty of Congress, described in Article One of the Constitution of the United States because Congress is the governing body of our Republic, can do in their righeous rage at being stomped into the dirt by the Unitary Executive is to whine "But he didn't ASK us first!" Feh.