Interesting and Timely

... a dangerous ambition more often lurks behind the specious mask of zeal for the rights of the people than under the forbidden appearance of zeal for the firmness and efficiency of government. History will teach us that the former has been found a much more certain road to the introduction of despotism than the latter, and that of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people; commencing demagogues, and ending tyrants.

From Federalist #1

The above could very well apply as a criticism of the Bush administration's foreign policy. For those who would do so, I'd say:

I always hear Democrats arguing in favor of more government involvement for what they define as the good of the people. They call Bush a tyrant.

The irony is choking me.

It just kills me that - for the vast majority of Bush's presidency - the left has railed against Bush, claiming that his administration has trampled civil rights under the dubious claim of protecting the American people, yet they turn a blind eye to the racism of "affirmative action" or the class warfare of taxation or the imposition of powerlessness-to-the-people via gun control. The left flips out when the NSA monitors their phone calls, but they support every other form of surveillance imaginable under the guise of anything from "public safety" to "consumer protection." They claim they want "social justice" ... whatever that means. They call it "progress." All for the good of the people.

They hate Bush for what they claim he's done to America in the name of the people, but they make no bones about the fact that they'll do a different shade of the same thing. I think Senator Obama (Soc., IL) phrased it as something like, 'We believe government can help' or something like that.

Hypocrisy is where you find it.