Is there anything, anything at all that can shock and anger the American public enough to acknowledge the lies, conspiracies, corruption, criminality and anti-constitutional behavior of the Bush administration and demand a change in Executive and Legislative leadership? For a week the media has been reporting the domestic spying scandal. Bush authorized warrantless domestic spying and then went on stage to stand behind it as "necessary." What? I shake my head in disbelief at the latest collective shrug of the people's shoulders.

Tom Delay, indicted, so what? Scooter Libby indicted, so what? Jack Abramoff pleads guilty this morning, so what? Illegal war based on lies, so what? Domestic spying, so what? Deplete the treasury with huge tax cuts, record spending and record borrowing from foreign governments (more than the previous 42 presidents combined), so what?

Halliburton makes billions in profit from the war, so what? 2,200 dead 16,000 wounded soldiers, so what? Highest gas prices ever, record Oil industry profits, so what? Fall behind in education and science while arguing about Judeo-Christian creation stories and stem cells, so what?

What will it take. Perhaps it is a lost cause. Perhaps the stakes in the "culture wars" are too high for the far right wing and the conservative Christians to care for any of this. Perhaps religion and ideology have finally overtaken prudence and the collective good of the country for about 53% of the public.

I'm beginning to think there is no turning back. That the country has taken a path it will follow to the end. I have never been one to look for a savior, but I think I am hoping for one now.

UPDATE: 11:28 EDT 1/3/05. Helicopter shot down in Iraq, first two military deaths of 2006 in Iraq. Two more families destroyed.