The Godfather.  The Sopranos.  Why does organized crime intrigue us so? 
 
Frustration.  To get things done in our law abiding Constitutional Republic we have to compromise.  The very essence of civilization is compromise.   To have to compromise can be frustrating at times, but compromise is intrinsic in the checks and balances that harness excessive accumulation of power. 

Frustration.  In a civilized and complex world we are often frustrated by our own inability to affect the outcome of things to our complete satisfaction.  Sometimes it seems that we are invisible, that we have no effect at all on the outcome of events, no control of our lives. 

It would be so much more comfortable to shape the world to our image and make everyone else compromise with that.  Hitler comes to mind as a classic success story for this errant human behavior. But thankfully most of us never even come close.

Mother Teresa understood this very human characteristic of insecurity and vanity.  She herself told how she recognized it in her own very human nature.  Of course she submerged it and drowned it in her own divinity.

But most of us are not able to match her example.  Indeed some even succumb entirely to the allure of being God.  And some do come close to shaping their piece of the world in their own image.  The bosses of organized crime are examples of individuals that have achieved a position on this spectrum of human insecurity and vanity much closer to Adolph Hitler than Mother Teresa.

Unlike most crime, organized crime takes on the coloration of the established order and uses that as camouflage to affect the outcome of things to its satisfaction.

While organized crime uses the structure of civilized society to its advantage, it disregards its values and protocols.  It sees the world as black and white.  Compromise is minimal and grudging.  Its narrow self-interest justifies a code of conduct that allows it to deal immediately and bluntly with any problems. And there can be a great sense of satisfaction in such decisive behavior.  But it acts with little regard for the well being of the established order it hides in. 
 
This unequivocal “take the bull by the horns” behavior has theatrical value for politicians.  Strong Leader posing with a bull horn speaks to the moment.  Hitler at the NAZI Nuremberg rallies inspired the masses. "Bring em' on".  "Dead or Alive!".  "Either you’re for us or you're against us."  It feels so good to be so decisive. And it is inspiring and reassuring for the insecure - at least until the bluff is called in.

But such arrogance, such an organized crime mentality employed in government, is frightening.  For its own survival, and for the sake of our country, The GOP needs to look at what has taken on the protective coloration of the Conservative movement as camouflage for its true nature and is hiding in the GOP's structure.

The GOP's hard right fringe acts with little regard for the well being of the established order it hides in.  In this secretive Bush Regime there has been a remarkably open disregard for our constitutional principles, to say nothing of a glaring disdain for world opinion of our United States. 

For the GOP's hard right, it’s a black and white world.  That lends itself to the moment and easy answers, but it is a dysfunctional jagged dreary dangerous place, and not a nice place to live. 
 
My guess is that The Sopranos is a “must watch” series for members of the hard right fringe of the GOP.