In some countries, the commander in chief builds a propaganda apparatus that equates him with the military and the nation. If you object that he's making bad decisions and disserving the national interest, you're accused of weakening the nation, undermining its security, sabotaging the commander in chief, and serving a foreign power -- the very charges Miller leveled tonight against Bush's critics. Are you prepared to become one of those countries? When patriotism is impugned, the facts go out the window. You're not allowed to point out that Bush shifted the rationale for the Iraq war further and further from U.S. national security -- from complicity in 9/11 to weapons of mass destruction to building democracy to relieving Iraqis of their dictator -- without explaining why American troops and taxpayers should bear the burden. You're not allowed to point out that the longer a liberator stays, the more he looks like an occupier. You're not allowed to propose that the enormous postwar expenses Bush failed to budget for be covered by repealing his tax cuts for the wealthy instead of further indebting every American child. If you dare to say these things, you're accused -- as Kerry now stands accused by Cheney and Miller -- of defaming America and refusing "to support American troops in combat." You're contrasted to a president who "is unashamed of his belief that God is not indifferent to America." You're derided, in Cheney's words, for trying to show al-Qaida "our softer side." Your Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts are no match for the vice president's five draft deferments. This is really a very good piece. I sometimes find Saletan a little pollyannaish in his political thinking, but this hits some really important points. Three blocks away from me, in Union Square park, there are signs up reading "Support Our Troops: Bring Them Home". This is how the Left must respond to the efforts of Bush to paint us as anti-American. There's nothing more American than wanting to protect the lives of American boys (and girls) from deaths in a war that's distraction from fighting our real enemies: the terrorists who flew planes into the towers that were not two miles from where I sit now. There's nothing more American than allowing doctors to study ways to protect our elderly loved ones from succumbing to the horrible disease of Alzheimer's. George Bush should be ashamed that he ignored Nancy Reagan's pleas to give hope to the final years of her husband's life. There's nothing more American than wanting to protect the Blue Ridge Mountains from the desolation caused by unchecked coal mining, where mountains are flattened, and the grimy runoff is allowed to to creep up the once green valley walls. All this because the Bush administration has redefined this black sludge as "fill" instead of "waste". This is a desecration of the legacy of Republican President Teddy Roosevelt, a true conservationist who knew that a "Conservative" tries to preserve what's good about our nation, for future generations. Imperial President - Opposing Bush becomes unpatriotic. By William Saletan | 
