Next time any of you private foundation folks who fund organizations that do the fantastic work of advancing democracy around the world are asked to speak on that topic, feel free to crib any of the following:

"While the foundation is pleased to support efforts to advance democracy in parts of the world where the idea may just taking root, we are increasingly alarmed about the erosion of democracy here at home. We fully understand that after 9/11 measures needed to be put in place to better protect us from further attacks by terrorists. But the current administration has damaged some of the historical foundations of American society: Spying on American citizens without warrant, attaching signing statements to legislation exempting the President from complying, and yes, breaking the law, are not what we expect from democratically elected leaders. In the name of protecting Americans from terror, this administration has adopted tactics of regressive regimes. Regimes that our grantees in other countries have worked so hard to replace with legitimately elected governments. So, while we continue our commitment to supporting the growth of democracy abroad, we will speak out more forcefully about the chipping away of democracy here at home."

Just a thought.