[justshutupandtakeit]

They were the death knell and part of the reason was the propaganda mileage Jeffersonians got out of opposing them. Rather than being seen as rather trivial and less orneous than the State laws the RAT propagandists where able to convince the ignorant yahoos they were the manifestations of tyranny.

Then Jefferson turned around and had his supporters persecute his critics in State courts where Truth was NOT a defense under the libel laws. Monumental hypocrisy is the only accurate description of this.

[FirstPrinciple]

I am not disagreeing with you. The point is the Alien and Sedition Acts were overturned and the party responsible for it disappeared from the political map. What should happen to President Bush for signing this drconian measure into law? Furthermore, I think Bush showed a clear dereliction of duty when he signed it into law. He was banking that the SC will have enough courage, more than he does, to overturn this law. That is a violation of his oath of office where he is supposed to uphold the Constitution. He overlooks his duty that he heads a co-equal branch of the govt and has as much power in interpreting the COnstitution as any other branch. The buck doesn't seem to stop in his desk, it simply starts there.