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The first amendment guarantees the right to freedom of speech; the fifth guarantees that no person shall be deprived of property without due process. Disregarding these fundamental constitutional pillars, George Bush on July 17, 2007, decided that controlling free speech is too important to be left to “We, the People,” and issued a new executive order empowering the federal government to freeze the assets of people who threaten Iraq's stability. An order so broad could be applied to any U.S. citizen with assets in the U.S. who criticizes Iraq in a way that could be construed as leading to unrest in Baghdad.

This order is not about protecting stability in Iraq. It’s an unabashed attempt to silence the American people and the brave soldiers who now see the war for what it is: a shameful quagmire with no end in sight.

The executive mandate is not this administration’s first attempt to infringe on our constitutional rights. On July 30, Congress agreed to support Bush’s patently illegal surveillance of international phone calls without meaningful restrictions or oversight.

On July 7, the Pentagon, intent on sending a message to all our soldiers, worldwide, re-evaluated the honorable discharges of two former marines, Liam Madden and Adam Koresh, and subsequently deemed their discharges dishonorable after they publicly criticized the war in Iraq.

With these obvious attacks on our fundamental human rights, the very basis of the war itself is once again undermined. How can we send our young men and women to die bringing democracy to Iraq if, in doing so, we let democracy die in America?

As Frank Rich pointed out in his op-ed article in the New York Times last week, Bush, in a move that bristles with irony, has shifted the responsibility of staying in Iraq from himself to his Generals. This move so clearly contradicts precedent: for over 230 years, foreign policy has been run by the President.

George Bush, (our Decider and former Commander in Chief) facing the biggest decision of his Presidency, has abdicated his decision making to General Petraeus. “Betrayus” like any politician, knows how to play to his base. This means he is sure to give Bush just enough language to tell the American people: “his generals believe we need to stay the course in Iraq.”

The generals may want to stay, but our soldiers --people like Madden and Koresh, and tens of thousands more -- know the war is over. So do the vast majority of American citizens. This administration will never stand up to what is true, admit it and create a committed plan to bring our troops home.

Instead, they allow Americans and innocent civilians to die. They continue to act as untouchable and they audaciously rewrite the constitution to stifle debate and dissent.

If Bush’s imperial paranoia makes its way to the Supreme Court, where his right-wing loyalists can institutionalize his self-serving attempts to destroy the constitution as law, the impact to America in the long-term, will ultimately be far more damaging than his foreign policy.

As we count down the days until this administration finally leaves office, those of us who truly understand and love our country must protect our constitution and stand up and be heard.