What a sad, topsy-turvy week to be an American.

It looked like the current Commander-in-Chief had finally been given his comeupance. Senators from his own party were telling him he could not authorize torture, could not remake the Geneva Conventions in his own 'the rules don't apply to us' image. Bravo McCain/Warner/Graham. Or so I thought. And now...utter capitulation to a power-mad administration.

If the bill passes...and it seems it will...

--The President will be able to decide who is an enemy combatant. (Evidence of how the administration will define it is found in the fact that a satellite tv provider has been chared as a combatant for selling access to the Hezbollah tv network. First Amendment anyone?)

--"Technical corrctions" have undone almost every concession that Senators Warner, McCain, and Graham were able to get--feeble as they were.

--Accuseds will not have the opportunity to examine the evidence against them, they will only have the right to "respond" to it.

--Illegally obtained evidence (like coerced confession and warrantless searches)...whether obtained in the US or elsewhere will be admissible in the Bush Kangaroo Courts regardless of how it was obtained.

--There will be no right of Habeus Corpus (a right, that if I'm remembering my history, the peasants were able to enforce as far back as the Magna Carta, about 800 years ago) and no right to demand a timely charge or trial.

--And the President will, essentially, get to define what torture means, arbitrarily determining (without oversight) whether something does or does not violate the Geneva Conventions...and his word on the subject will have the force of US law.

Friends...this legislation is a declaration of martial law against anyone the President determines is an enemy combatant...

There is much talk, indeed threats, from Republican leadership that those who oppose the bill will be accused of "coddling" terrorists in the November elections.

I prefer to think that any idiot who votes FOR this bill will be considered an enemy of the Constitution and thrown out of office on his/her spineless, fear-mongering, political-pandering, responsibility-shirking butt.

This bill is evil. Real nation-threatening, soldier-endangering, freedom-shredding, proto-fascist evil.