precisely why George Bush wants hearings on domestic spying

[dajoki]

Slate
http://www.slate.com//id/2134206

Bush in the Briar Patch
Why the president wants hearings on spying.
By John Dickerson
Posted Thursday, Jan. 12, 2006, at 7:55 PM ET



Bring on the hearings

George Bush wants congressional hearings to look into his administration's domestic eavesdropping. At first he wasn't so keen on the idea, but yesterday he said they'd be "good for democracy." Hearings are good for Jon Stewart; good for C-SPAN; good for fundraising. But good for democracy? Has he watched Alito this week? The political acrimony reached such a pitch yesterday that Judge Alito's wife left the hearing room in tears. It's hard to conceive of hearings on any topic being good for the commonweal in this environment.

But that's precisely why George Bush wants hearings on domestic spying. He's inviting Democrats to another round of self-immolation. In 2002, the Republican Party used the debate over the Department of Homeland Security to attack Democrats in the off-year election by arguing the party was soft on terror. The president and his aides hope the NSA hearings will offer the same opportunity in 2006.

It is true that in the Alito hearings it was a Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham, and not a Democrat, whose remarks made Judge Alito's wife cry. It's also true that Alito's limited answers contributed to the atmosphere that forced Democrats like Ted Kennedy to act out. It's also true that the Democrats are desperate. But you don't have to come down on one side or the other of these issues to know that it's not good for members of the Democratic Party to look like bullies. (For teeing up the moment, Sen. Graham should get a trip to the Northern Mariana Islands.)
George Bush normally resists congressional oversight. Hearings are a venue for second-guessing and exposing secrets. Administration officials should be doing their jobs, not wasting time at the witness table. But Bush and his aides are eager to talk about the National Security Agency's activities because they think the issue benefits them politically. While Democrats are often confusing, with too many leaders and no clear message to push back against the commander in chief, the president is passionate when he talks about fighting terrorists, and a majority of voters still approve of his handling of the issue. And because the spying program was initiated soon after 9/11, it offers Bush an opportunity to discuss his more popular days as a take-charge executive after the 2001 attacks. "We're very comfortable discussing the issue for as long as they want," says Counselor to the President Dan Bartlett.

[msongs]

1. makes sense to me - dems should just demand legislation that

stops all the illegal stuff, or demand enforcement of same

Msongs
www.msongs.com/dean2008.htm

[AndyTiedye]

2. In Other Words, The Repubs Can Spin ANYTHING To Benefit them

It sure helps when you own the news.

[dajoki]

4. it doesn't hurt n/t

[rudy23]

3. This is where the Democrats need coaching

If they worked the way the Republican "team" worked, EVERY time they criticized unwarranted wiretapping, they would preface it with some tough words concerning the war on terror.

Sorta like how the Republicans were coached to always mention 9-11 in an adjacent sentence, every time they talked about Iraq.

There should be a lot of "we don't want another attack, but we believe we can be tough on terror AND follow the rules."

Use a lot of "we believe goodness prevails in the end." and "we don't have to LOSE our souls to WIN the war on terror."

[Yoda Yada]

5. There you go...

That's exactly what they need to do.

"We don't have to DESTROY our Constitution in order to win the war on terror."

And don't let them spin this to be about protecting the country...this is about ABUSE OF POWER.

[Flabbergasted]

7. Well destroying the constitution and winning the war on terror

are the same thing

[dajoki]

10. of course...

that is what they want us to believe.

[terryg11]

6. local dem politicians could carry the ball some too..

especially in places like NY where security concerns are high. The dept. of homeland security just got failing grades from the committee that oversees them and everyone saw the numbers about how the money for homeland sec. has been spent (Wyoming getting more per person than any other state, I believe?).

Need to show that spending money recklessly as they have over the last four years doesn't mean you are necessarily tough on trror.

[AtomicKitten]

8. The Dems must hammer home that this is ILLEGAL.

Perhaps the Republicans will recall the "rule of law" argument that was used against Clinton.

Except this is important.

[Neil Lisst]

9. Looks like someone had to write something, and this was it.

I don't care for commentators who think they have to come up with some angle, and this guy's article has his angle. It's not a matter of Democrats self-immolating. It's the control issue. When Dems don't hold either House of congress, they can't control any aspect of governance.

It's all about who has the votes.

And overlaid is a media full of knee jerk lackeys, like the author of the tripe in the OP.

Bush wasn't all that thinking when he responded with his comment. He had to buy himself some decent PR, and this was how he did it.

Prophets of gloom and doom always suck.

[cindyw]

11. This is precisely why Gore said there should be a special prodsecutor.

Dems would end up attacking him and letting him give passionate speeches about defending the American people or they will look so weak that given the opportunity to hold Bush accountable they did not. The party with no power is always in a lose lose situation

[KakistocracyHater]

12. If I recall properly at Nuremberg those on trial were

not allowed to speak. Now I know why; if they(the Republicans) speak they will somehow manage to hypnotize whoever listens to them. This is not an intellectual war, this is on the gut level-undercutting the mind is the only way for Republicans to win because they have broken the law, many laws already. So they employ stage magician tactics of distraction, shift the focus from what is really going on to emotions, & then via rumors etc, they get their way.