The Bush administration’s assault on some of the founding principles of American democracy marches onward despite the Democratic victory in the 2006 elections. The new Democratic majorities in Congress can block the sort of noxious measures that the Republican majority rubber-stamped. But preventing new assaults on civil liberties is not nearly enough.

Five years of presidential overreaching and Congressional collaboration continue to exact a high toll in human lives, America’s global reputation and the architecture of democracy. Brutality toward prisoners, and the denial of their human rights, have been institutionalized; unlawful spying on Americans continues; and the courts are being closed to legal challenges of these practices.

It will require forceful steps by this Congress to undo the damage.

And those forceful steps?

Here’s their list as bullet points, though the full editorial is well worth reading.

• Restore Habeas Corpus, the ancient right for someone to challenge their imprisonment in court
• Stop illegal spying
• Ban torture, really
• Close the CIA prisons
• Account for “ghost prisoners”
• Ban extraordinary rendition
• Tighten the definition of combatant
• Screen prisoners fairly and effectively
• Ban tainted evidence
• Ban secret evidence
• Better define “classified” evidence
• Respect the right to counsel

Let’s come back to this list in six months and see what’s been fixed.

Thanks to former senator Stephen Loosley for the pointer.

But it won’t happen. And here’s why…

Earlier tonight, my post-gym dinner-and-drinks led me to the Carlisle Castle Hotel. It was a quiet night, and my gym partner and I were almost alone in the front bar until Fiona Byrne and her entourage turned up after a candidates’ forum at the Newtown Community Centre.

I thought I recognised her. Despite The Greens being all for the environment, they’re always the first to visually pollute the neighbourhood with posters of their candidates’ photos . And I heard someone introduce “Derek” as “the campaign manager”. So I figured I was in the company of The Candidate and Her Team.

Here’s what I noticed, as they debauched themselves on two schooners of Cascade Light:

• Derek reckons they only need to convince 3000 more voters to mark The Greens as first preference, and Fiona’s in. I reckon that’s probably right, but does Antony Green agree?
• Despite me mentioning that I was once a media producer (and therefore election-savvy) and a local voter, Derek didn’t even bother introducing The Candidate. They all seemed more interested in talking to each other than the voter sitting in front of them.
• I read every single piece of paper that comes through my mailbox, and I hadn’t even heard of this candidates’ forum.
• They simply didn’t look hungry for victory. They didn’t have the body language and demeanour of winners.

Way back when I worked for the ABC (yes, the 1980s), I happened to meet Michael Dukakis, the former Governor of Massachusetts and the Democrats’ candidate for President of the USA against Bush I.

When I was introduced, Dukakis looked me straight in the eye, grasped my hand, smiled — and for a moment he made me feel like the most important person in the universe. I knew I was in the presence of a professional, and I wanted to hear what he had to say.

Sure, a moment later the spell was broken, and we got on with recording the interview. But he was good, very good. And while I don’t expect the local candidate in an Australian state election to have the same charisma as a potential POTUS… Jesus, people, at least try!

And while you’re at it, look like you could actually run the state of New South Wales, instead of a being just another whingey lobby group on bicycles.

You’ve got six weeks. Focus, focus.