The problem with Republicans’ political ethics is highly contingent. Take the words of George W. Bush, for example. When he contemplates the other nations of the world, he declares an inflexible and unhelpful dichotomy: “either you’re with us, or you’re against us.” But when it comes to judging himself and his own lapses in behavior, he asserts that “sometimes things aren’t exactly black and white.” Like Rush Limbaugh on drugs, George W. Bush has created a moral universe in which everybody needs to follow his hard-and-fast rules, except when one’s friends and one’s self are involved, in which case certain allowances must be made. Enough with flexibility for those in the loop and draconian measures for those outside the loop. Our nation is overdue for a return to a system under one rule of law, exercised with judiciousness and impartiality.

(Source: Washington Post July 8 2002)