While I haven't had the time to watch the Gospel of Judas, I have keenly looked forward to it. As a result, when I saw Maureen Dowd's editorial from April 8, my interest was piqued. Maureen's column regarded the recent revelation that Scooter Libby testified that he had George W. Bush's blessing when he leaked Valerie Plame's name to the New York Times' Judy Miller.

Scooter Libby

How are these things linked you might ask? Some neocons have reviled Scooter as a modern day Judas for the peril in which he placed the Bush presidency. Now, some of those same neocons are regaling Scooter as a "good" Judas since he was carrying out the wishes of W himself.

Please. The amazingly thin logic and extremely questionable legality of the entire scenario dwarfs anything Bill Clinton did during his administration. Bush's ascertion that, as president, he can decide single-handedly what is secret and what is not smacks of 13th Century autocracy, not democracy. There are systems in place, long-standing policies! Still, the neocons somehow believe Clinton is the right hand of the Devil and, despite the lowest approval ratings in history, Bush maintains his Reaganesque Cloak of Teflon.

Now let's add W's apparent belief that God wants us to be at war in Iraq. Frankly, I'm speechless that the elected leader of any country would base a decision to go to war on this slippery moral slope. Are there other voices in W's head we should know about? And I don't mean Karl Rove either.

I recommend Maureen's editorial highly . It's a clear and concise look at what is shaping up to be an interesting discussion regarding the limits of presidential legal authority. As one who lived through Watergate, the Nixonian parallels are interesting and increasingly scarier.

Note: To read Maureen' editorial, you'll need to sign up with the NY Times. It's a no-cost subscription.

Note Again: Living With War is Neil Young's latest release and includes the title of this entry. Raw and powerfully indignant, it's comforting in many ways to hear voices from our generation rise again. It still stirs me-- Four Dead in Ohio...