So it seems pretty clear that Rumsfeld committed a war crime when he personally ordered an Iraqi POW to be held secretly and kept away from the Red Cross. Indeed, some contend this is a black-letter law, open-and-shut case. But we’ll have no investigations, no accountability. As far as our Republican-controlled government is concerned, committing war crimes is no big deal.

And our Attorney General acts in open contempt of Congress, refusing to release memos demanded while providing no justification beyond “I don’t want to.” This is a clear-cut violation of both the letter and spirit of the law. But there will be no subpeona, no investigation. As far as our Republican-controlled Congress is concerned, treating them with contempt is no big deal.

Tom Scully lies to Congress, and coerces a government employee to withhold the true cost of the prescription-drug bill. Clear-cut felonies that provoke not even minor clucking from the Republican-controlled Congress.

Not too long ago, Republicans spent their days screeching about the “rule of law” as they sought to impeach the president over sexual misconduct. Today, there is no level of criminality — not even outright treason (see Valerie Plame) — that can provoke even mild murmurs of rebuke from those very same people.

We once were a nation of laws. For this we were respected by other nations. Now, Republicans in all three branches of our government have worked hard to create an imperial presidency. They are fools.