Politicizing politization
Posted by Greg on January 28, 2006
The White House continues to question the judgment and patriotism of those who dare ask questions about its illegal spy programs. The Washington Post editorializes:
The Bush administration’s distortion, for political purposes, of the Democratic position on warrantless surveillance is loathsome. Despite the best efforts of Karl Rove, the White House deputy chief of staff, and Ken Mehlman, the Republican National Committee chairman, to make it seem otherwise, Democrats are not opposed to vigorous, effective surveillance that could uncover terrorist activity. Nor are the concerns that they are expressing unique to their party. Republican Sens. John McCain (Ariz.), Arlen Specter (Pa.), Chuck Hagel (Neb.), Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) and Sam Brownback (Kan.) have expressed legal doubts about the surveillance program. Do they, too, have a “pre-9/11 worldview,” as Mr. Rove said of the Democrats?
Believing there should be constraints on unchecked executive power is not the same as being weak-kneed about the war against terrorism. Critics are suggesting that President Bush should have gone through normal procedures for conducting such surveillance or asked Congress to provide clear legal authority for the National Security Agency activity. They are not contending that such surveillance shouldn’t be conducted at all. No leading Democrat has argued for barring this kind of potentially useful technique.
As Joe Gandelman observes:
And there you have it. Just as the controversy over Oprah and The Bio That Wasn’t Factual underscored the issue of whether facts matter and whether truth is subjective, we now face the prospect of a political party and its infomachine going around in 2006 suggesting Democrats don’t want surveillance or to protect Americans.
Quoting from the same editorial he continues:
But you wouldn’t know that to listen to the GOP spin. “Let me be as clear as I can be — President Bush believes if al Qaeda is calling somebody in America, it is in our national security interest to know who they’re calling and why,” Mr. Rove said at the Republican National Committee winter meeting last week. “Some important Democrats clearly disagree.” Mr. Mehlman named names. “Do Nancy Pelosi and Howard Dean really think that when the NSA is listening in on terrorists planning attacks on America, they need to hang up when those terrorists dial their sleeper cells inside the United States?” he asked.
Mr. Mehlman’s comment is so inaccurate that we just will had to boldface it. The problem is: some Americans will believe it. Mr. Mehlman left out the fact that the government could have done it and gone for approval under FISA afterwards.
Yes, you can win power by any means by demonizing those who disagree with you and misrepresenting their positions through a massive info machine. But you can’t achieve national unity as many great American administrations have by doing so. On the other hand, that truly doesn’t see to matter to them.Also read:
