George W. Bush isn't just above the law. He apparently is the law. And that's been his plan all along--to be the Unitary Almighty.

Last week, Karl Rove set us up for what's ahead. His basic "Frightening Americans Course" is popular with neocons, especially when he says that the president wants to know who in America al-Qaeda is calling. This week the president will be touching down to state his case for illegally listening to conversations and intercepting e-mails. Over and over in front of staged audiences containing brown-nosers who will nod and clap, suck up and lick you know what, Bush will tell the public that it's his job to keep us safe. His assurances should fall on disbelieving ears as he sputters, "That's what the people expect of me."

And this is why: Bush has done little to secure our safety. Remember the recent finding of the 9/11 Commission that gave the government lots of big fat FAILURES. The December 5, 2005 report handed down a C+ for "Foreign Policy" in Pakistan. That's got to have sunk to an F after last week when we bombed a house where our intelligence, the Keystone Cops, insisted al-Qaeda's number two was staying. It doesn't matter if we take out the heads; the body will regenerate since every act perpetrated by Americans kills civilians and inspires hatred. Just think "Whack a Mole."

It seems I can't turn on the news without seeing a bunch of investigative reporters searching a site where they find unguarded and, therefore, unprotected tanks of stored, toxic chemicals with huge advertisements: "Flammable. For Acquisition by Terrorists in Mass Killings." They practically provide a roadmap to the locations and offer instructions about usage not to mention telling the viewers that no person working there ever approached and asked why they were snooping around, who they were, or told them to leave. I think all this comes under the Homeland Security and Emergency Response "Critical infrastructure assessment" category which received a D. Perhaps it should have rated an F instead.

Also scoring a D, which in college credit means passing but not transferable, was the "Maximum effort to prevent terrorists from acquiring WMD." This same grade went to "Government-wide information sharing." Now we know why the latter received this low mark. Instead of exchanging information to keep us safe, they are skulking around, trespassing through our lives, stalking us and engaging in a pathetic circle-perk as they lurk in our minds.

Feeling Safe? I don't think so. But Bush and Cheney are going to be ramming their program of spying down our throats and expecting us to swallow. It's for your own good they'll insist--all for the sake of safety. "You want to be safe, don't you, but don't tell anybody Uncle George and Uncle Dick did this to you. It's not bad. We love you."

This rape of privacy comes at a huge price. You'll suffer from the abuse for years.