"Since his first term, Bush has pressed forward with a radical view of the executive branch. Beyond adopting autocratic positions on foreign policy and taking broad liberties to subvert the Bill of Rights,

"From formaldehyde-soaked FEMA trailers, tainted pharmaceuticals and politically motivated firings of U.S. attorneys, to allegations of retaliation against government whistleblowers and an exodus of career officials from key regulatory positions, the Bush administration has lorded over a highly politicized and increasingly ineffective federal bureaucracy.

"Policy analysts and legal scholars paint a picture of an executive intent on controlling every aspect of the federal bureaucracy, in particular the agencies tasked with regulating industry and commerce.

"Taken as a whole, the president's rejection of international law and his consolidation of administrative oversight are representative of a decades-long effort by conservatives to implement a so-called "unitary executive theory” a euphemism for virtually unlimited presidential power.

"But for such a creation to succeed, the executive must assert its influence over all aspects of government, from the top down, through the ranks of the roughly 3 million civilian employees that today work in government jobs at more than 100 agencies and sub-agencies.

"Even his detractors say this is something Bush has been especially adept at.

"By controlling regulatory officers....the Bush administration has put a "political watchdog" on the inside. With the stroke of a pen, Bush has effectively usurped control of all government rulemaking.

"Some appointees are scrambling to push through last-minute regulation changes. At the end of July, the Washington Post reported on the Labor Department's effort to push through rules making it harder to regulate workers' on-the-job exposure to chemicals and toxins.

"Others are working their way into career positions. Known as "burrowing," this has some legislators worried. In a recent letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Sens. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) urged officials at the Justice Department to ensure that political appointees not improperly fill jobs intended for nonpartisan professionals.  (This is somewhat ironic since Schumer and Feinstein made possible Mukasey's confirmation)

" 'We don't need ideological stowaways undermining the work of the next administration,' Schumer wrote."

Read the entire article.