Less than three months before the 2006 elections, Americans learned of the arrests in England of alleged terrorists on the brink of staging a massive attack. It later turned out that there was no imminent attack, but in the meantime, Congress rushed through the Military Commissions Act of 2006, which President Bush signed three weeks before the election. Hidden in the fine print of that act were all sorts of undebated details, including one clause that gave retroactive immunity to anyone, including Bush, who violated the U.S. War Crimes Act.

 

In 2008, the Bush administration used the same election year tactic to rush through a bailout plan that included hidden details. First, on September 19, came the panicked warning of imminent disaster, this time regarding the economy. Then came the bill that had to be passed immediately, which it was (with some pork added) on October 3. Now that the election is over, some of the undebated details are coming out.

 

For example, the Federal Reserve is refusing to disclose the names of the recipients of $2 trillion of emergency loans or the assets that will be used as collateral. And, in a high-level bait-and switch, while the nation was fixated on the bailout package, the Treasury Department quietly gave certain banks windfall tax breaks that will cost American taxpayers more than $100 billion.