Designadamente, do que significa uma República liberal de cidadãos livres. E dispensa avatares de outros Georges. Os Republicanos feridos vão recuperando os valores do small government:

Republicans who limped back to Washington for a lame duck congressional session last week found a host of marching orders from President Bush, but perhaps none more urgent than this: Before Democrats take control of Congress in January, they must pass legislation authorizing the National Security Agency’s domestic eavesdropping program.

The response: deafening silence. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist quickly dispatched aides to put out the word on Bush’s request: Not gonna happen.

Enquanto Chris Dodd, senador Democrata pelo Connecticut, introduz no Congresso o “Effective Terrorists Prosecution Act”, contendo algumas modernices liberais:

- Restores Habeas Corpus protections to detainees;
- Narrows the definition of unlawful enemy combatant to individuals who directly participate in hostilities against the United States who are not lawful combatants;
- Bars information gained through coercion from being introduced as evidence in trials;
- Empowers military judges to exclude hearsay evidence they deem to be unreliable;
- Authorizes the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces to review decisions by the Military commissions
- Limits the authority of the President to interpret the meaning and application of the Geneva Conventions and makes that authority subject to congressional and judicial oversight;
- Provides for expedited judicial review of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 to determine the constitutionally of its provisions.