>Most of the characteristics Britt lists are actually properties than
>can be observed in any nation in a state of war.
But that's partly the point - the Bush admin is trying to construct a master narrative of permanent war, and with some success. Newspaper references to him as "a wartime president" are routine. We're on a state of constant terror alert, gradations periodically and teasingly altered. The right to counsel is under attack, critical opinions are met with more than usual hostility, there's massive detention without charge, and there's talk of stripping people of their citizenship. Yet we're supposed to go on with "normal" life. I understand the risks of linguistic inflation, but this is not ordinary stuff.
Doug