As of the writing of this column, liberals are practically frothing in anticipation of the rumored indictments of such notable individuals as Karl Rove. Concurrently, they exult over House Majority Leader Tom Delay, who is being dragged with painful slowness through the Texas 'legal' system, after having been indicted.

The bogus claims of Joe Wilson, that his wife was 'outed' as a CIA operative have been thoroughly discredited. Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's attention has reportedly shifted instead to the equally specious assertion that his targets, like Delay, failed to successfully navigate the legal gauntlet laid out for them during the course of the investigation.

So despite Democrat caterwauling over the heinous and unpardonable nature of the 'crimes' committed by Rove and Delay, no one has offered any credible assertion as to how, even if convicted of every charge now leveled against them, America will benefit in any manner from those convictions.

Clearly, neither Rove nor Delay were targeted for illicit behavior, but rather as a result of the political philosophies that they represent. So despite the phony sanctimony of the liberals, the ominous reality is that those on the left are successfully moving America one dangerous step closer to accepting the notion of political prisoners.

Democrats relentlessly decry the 'culture of corruption,' ostensibly among Republicans. But while the legal charades of the past few weeks indicate a corrupted system that threatens America, it is the corruption of the legal process, and above all, the willingness of liberal Democrats to engage in such a perverse political strategy, that portends grave danger to the American experiment.

No doubt, in response to this charge, liberals would point to the many occasions in which Bill Clinton had to contend with legal entanglements. But in contrast, those constant scandals of the Clinton era resulted from constant violations of well—established laws that were originally instituted to ensure the legitimate governance of the people.

Abuse of that system for the purpose of political advancement is, and should be, regarded as a danger to this nation's future, and therefore is indeed criminal.

While the policies and actions of the Clinton White House were, in and of themselves, gravely detrimental to the nation, equally damaging were the unconscionable perversions of the legal system engaged in by the Clintons in order to thwart any accountability for their actions.

Through sheer audacity, the Clinton political machine flouted the law, and on occasions too numerous to count, blatantly breached the very institutions intended to enforce the law, thereby distorting them into malignant entities with which to attack political opponents.

With a straight face and unshakable pretense of moral authority, Attorney General Janet Reno, when presented with a lengthy string of campaign finance abuses by Democrats, singled out Republican Party Chairman Haley Barbour as the sole individual whose actions warranted investigation. In light of such brazen action, who can doubt that Reno's real objective was not the pursuit of justice, but rather the 'checkmating' of political rivals?

In an obviously criminal episode known as 'Filegate,' the Clinton Administration illegally obtained approximately 1400 confidential FBI files of its political enemies. Similarly, the Clinton White House summoned the fearsome power of the IRS to harass and intimidate organizations that promoted disparate political philosophies.

Yet in neither case was any responsible party ever brought to justice. And legal statutes that were enforced selectively inevitably metastasized into weapons employed at the discretion of those who lusted for power.

Unfortunately, on the domestic front, and despite the party makeup of the nation's governing institutions, liberals remain firmly in control of the agenda by such sordid means. In like manner, they increasingly undercut America's war effort; criminalizing legitimate combat actions by American troops while simultaneously conferring ever—expanding 'rights' on captured terrorists.

Abominable though they may be, these tactics are not merely symptoms of sleazy politics to which a mature and rational statesman can simply 'turn the other cheek.' Instead, they represent an attack on America's very system of government, and thus constitute high crimes against every lawful citizen of this country.

The failure of the Bush Administration to recognize and confront them as such amounts to capitulation to them. Rather than pursuing his futile 'new tone,' the President owes it to the nation to demand justice for every past infraction, right down to the vandalized White House computer keyboards.

In the wake of the ensuing outrages, Republican inaction essentially abets their establishment as a sinister new order.

Christopher G. Adamo is a frequent contributor.