Hillary Clinton proclaimed that the Bush administration is “the most radical presidency we have ever had.”

This is, quite simply, absurd. But such boob-bait for the Bush bashers is common today in Democratic circles, just as similar right-wing rhetoric about Bill Clinton was par for the course a decade ago. The culture war, it seems, has distorted how we view politics more than we realized. Trust in government is at historic lows, but faith in one’s own “team” remains remarkably durable.

Only someone suffering partisan amnesia could believe Bush has been a more “radical” president than, say, Woodrow Wilson, under whom antiwar dissidents were thrown in jail and beaten in the streets. Wilson was the first president to openly deride the Constitution, mocking the “Fourth of July sentiments” of those who cared too much about its meaning.

Both sides are open to charges of hypocrisy, and neither is immune to partisan amnesia. The only consistent crowd are the Libertarians, who distrust all