Re your #1774: You are right of course. As my old dad said about politics, "First the Dems get in, then the Repubs, then back and forth, back and forth and nothing ever changes." It sounded so simplistic when he said that; it was back when I still believed there was a difference in the two parties.
It's like the old "good cop bad cop" strategy. Bush is just as surely leading us into socialism or globalism as Klinton was. It's just that he's not openly sleazy, he appears to be honest, so he gets to be the "good cop" in their little game.
You are completely correct! My biggest fear is that this becomes a clearly partisan issue. If it does we're done for, because nothing will ever happen.