ye gods, it doth amaze me

Yesterday's Intellectual Devotional entry was on Julius Caesar, and said in part:

Caesar was declared dictator by the Senate in the midst of his civil war with Pompey. It was a time of crisis, and the leader was thought to require decisive, emergency powers. But the emergency never passed. The Republic was not to be restored.

Caesar ruled as dictator, but he was largely careful to maintain the appearance of consulting the Senate -- stacked with his supporters -- and respecting the government's traditions.

Sounds eerily familiar, doesn't it?