You're not paranoid if they really ARE out to declare themselves dictator-for-life

During the Clinton years, the wingnuts speculated that Bill Clinton would declare martial law and stay on past the 2000 election -- despite the fact that Bill Clinton had never once articulated any dictatorial ambitions -- unlike George W. Bush, who has repeatedly said he'd like to be a dictator.

Lost in the brouhaha surrounding Bush's Tuesday press conference, in which he invoked World War III, was this little tidbit:

Q Mr. President, following up on Vladimir Putin for a moment. He said recently that next year when he has to step down, according to the constitution, as President, he may become Prime Minister, in effect keeping power and dashing any hopes for a genuine democratic transition there. Senator McCain --

THE PRESIDENT: I've been planning that myself. (Laughter.)

When a president repeatedly makes "jokes" about being a dictator, and about staying on when his term is over, isn't there a point at which it stops being laughworthy and becomes a statement of what he would really like to do?