Isn't that the point?

Bernard at Moon of Alabama points out that the new provisions of the upcoming 'terror/torture' law will mean that we are all targets now.
The primary goal of the Cheney administration is untrammeled domestic power, it's the same with all empires. Foreign conquest is always secondary, a tool to be used to ensure that enough money and rhetorical points are available to quash any opposition.
Once this point is reached, and I believe it has, the elimination of internal threats to power proceeds. As it stands, 95% of the press, and 95% of the Democrats are on board with Cheney, all they need to do is drink the kool-aid and keep their eyes pointed straight ahead. The remaining five percenters are going to find that pressure will increase to go with the flow. McCarthy type tactics will be sufficient for most of these, but with the president's hand strengthened by this new legislation, the temptation to make examples of few will happen in the not too distant future.
They locked up Padilla without any legal justification, now they can even think about sending the AG's boys to face down some judges.