Gene Healy

It’s All About Me

As you can see over there to the right, I have the cover story in Reason this month. The article is a succinct summary of the book, so spend the $3.50 to see if you want to buy the book. I grew up reading Reason, so it’s a real kick to be on the cover.

Also, Glenn Greenwald has kind words about Cult today on his blog, in the midst of a nice dissection of McCain’s speech of yesterday on judicial nominations.

Finally, if you’re sick of the self-promotion, I’ll leaven it with a little self-criticism. In the Reason article, I spend a few paragraphs talking about the political aftermath of Katrina, and how the president pushed for, and got, vast new powers to use the military to keep order domestically in the wake of a natural disaster. Very few people noticed the provision when it was slipped into a defense authorization bill signed the same day as the Military Commissions Act, but the new exception to the Posse Comitatus Act was significant, and a great example of how presidents are driven to seek new powers when faced with a public that holds them responsible for acts of God. Yeah, well, very few people–including me–noticed it when Sen. Patrick Leahy helped get that provision repealed a few months back. I didn’t know that–since the changes were technically to the Insurrection Act, they didn’t come up in my Google News Alert for “Posse Comitatus”–and I wrote those paragraphs as if the law was still in force. So, sorry about that. Congress. It screws me even when it’s doing something good.

It’s a great piece otherwise, I swear, and a great issue that includes rats, drugs, and the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Posted on May 7, 2008 in Cult of the Presidency | Comments

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