Helen Thomas, long time White House correspondant, writes a dead-on opinion piece on the current Bush administration and the travesties that keep being perpetrated.

Whatever happened to congressional oversight? I remember all too well the senators who gave President Lyndon B. Johnson a free hand to do whatever he believed was necessary in Southeast Asia. They lived to regret it. The result was the Vietnam War that ripped our country apart.

She nails it completely. And as regards the idea that criticizing the President and the administration are somehow anti-patriotic. Our country was founded on the ideals of freedom of speech precisely so that the people would always be free to speak out and help keep government in line. The idea of the Republic was to set up a system where the government had limitations in their power. What is happening now is what is anti-patriotic. If you consider yourself a patriot then speak up. Enough is enough.