I'd say it's a difference in degree, not in kind, but I would guess that political culture has taken a turn for the worse since GWB.
But... I'm not certain of it. Everyone has always complained about politicians. Are GWB's actions really that different from FDR or LBJ or RMN? In terms of respecting cultural/procedural niceties, not in terms of policy. How could that even be measured?
I strongly believe it to be more than a difference in degree. It is a signal that something is extremely broken wrt to how the system actually works and how it should be working. It says that the foxes no longer care about the farmer when they're raiding the hen-house because they know he's trussed up and unable to retaliate.
But... I'm not certain of it. Everyone has always complained about politicians. Are GWB's actions really that different from FDR or LBJ or RMN? In terms of respecting cultural/procedural niceties, not in terms of policy. How could that even be measured?