The reason for the illgeal wiretaps? Archy thinks so:
Look at the problem: Bush had a law on that allowed him to do legally everything he has done illegally; if there was a gap in the law, he had a tame congress that would have given him anything he wanted. I think his problem is not legal or tactical, it’s psychological.
Think of what we know about Bush’s bubble-boy personality. Bush likes to be in charge; he likes to give orders and see people scurry about, carrying out his will. He doesn’t respond well to being told “no.” He doesn’t share power or cooperate with others. By not using the legal means open to him, he cut the other branches of the government out of the loop. By keeping it all in the executive branch, he doesn’t have to ask for cooperation or help; he can give an order and watch it obeyed.