Krugman Predicts Two Years of "Rolling Constitutional Crisis"

Paul Krugman has written an alarming essay about the Bush administration's "Surging and Purging." He reveals that the administration, fearful of investigations into political corruption, has been purging the federal government of independent-minded prosecutors. Here's a quote:

Since the day it took power this administration has shown nothing but contempt for the normal principles of good government. For six years ethical problems and conflicts of interest have been the rule, not the exception.

For a long time the administration nonetheless seemed untouchable, protected both by Republican control of Congress and by its ability to justify anything and everything as necessary for the war on terror. Now, however, the investigations are closing in on the Oval Office. The latest news is that J. Steven Griles, the former deputy secretary of the Interior Department and the poster child for the administration's systematic policy of putting foxes in charge of henhouses, is finally facing possible indictment.

And the purge of U.S. attorneys looks like a pre-emptive strike against the gathering forces of justice.