Why the Liberals are in sad shape in the US

The history channel did an excellent special on Lincoln recently which reviewed many of Lincoln's greatest speeches and at the same time had several historians offer views on what made him tick. The overall special was really good. But in one section on Lincoln's use of executive power author Gore Vidal commented that Lincoln had used legitimate power during the Civil War to do things he needed to do. He then first made a veiled reference to Bush and then made the following comment invoking emergency powers like Lincoln did during the Civil War to attack the war on terror is like starting a "war on dandruff." I am sure all of Vidal's buddies in the salons of the East Coast screeched with glee - but I will bet members of the 3000 people who were killed on 9/11 or the victims of the terror attacks faced by Americans in other venues did not think his comment was at all cute.