Daschle has re-emerged, as if from the dead, to blow apart the Bush administration and Justice Department's defense of domestic spying using the NSA.

To those not aware of these developments, here's what has happened in the last few weeks. The Bush administration, in response to the NYT article disclosing that their use of the NSA to spy on Americans making overseas calls claimed that the Congressional authorization for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq gave him the power to do this. Subsequent revelations in the post indicated beyond listening in to international communications, the spying also extended to purely domestic communications. The Justice Department came out with a totally bogus "constitutional" justification of the president's new powers which are completely contradicted by legislation such as FISA, and claim that when congress authorized military force they also effectively made Bush a dictator who could then violate any law as he saw fit. Really, that's what this boils down to. They are saying that congress, by authorizing military force also "implied" that Bush could then do whatever he wants, whenever he wants in the name of protecting the nation. Where have we heard this before.

Anyway, the news today is that Tom Daschle has proof that this interpretation, besides being completely absurd to any reasonable patriotic American who believes in the rule of law, is also completely made up. The Bush administration asked for the power that they now claim was implied in the authorization, and congress rejected it. So, they rejected the language that would have given this president the power that he now claims they "implied" by giving him military authorization.

So, now the question is what shall we start calling Bush to reflect his new dictatorial status? If you can read any act of congress as "implying" that you have expansive executive powers, even when they specifically rejected such powers, then you are a dictator, no?

I would appreciate suggestions on his new dictator title. So far I've only come up with the rather tired and hackneyed BushenFuhrer. Please help!