Opposition to Bush's domestic spying is VERY, VERY bipartisan. But the White House tries to pretend that it's only those nasty Democrats.
This conforms to a pattern of deflection: The White House accuses other people of doing what THEY are doing. So they accuse the Democrats of playing politics with the domestic spying issue when they are the ones doing so - and they are doing so in the very act of claiming that it's the Democrats doing it.
I think the Orwell estate should sue Bush for copyright infringement.
Scott McClellan:"Senate Democrats continue to engage in misleading and outlandish charges about this vital tool…It defies common sense for Democrats to now claim the administration is acting outside its authority…
Really, Scotty?
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC): “The FISA Act was–created a court set up by the chief justice of the United States to allow a rapid response to requests for surveillance activity in the war on terror. I don’t know of any legal basis to go around that.”
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA): “”There is no doubt that this is inappropriate.”
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ): “WALLACE: But you do not believe that currently he has the legal authority to engage in these warrant-less wiretaps. MCCAIN: You know, I don’t think so…”
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS): “I am troubled by what the basis for the grounds that the administration says that they did these on, the legal basis…”
3 comments:
Careful about using George Orwell in this context. He is now known to have provided the post-war British government with a list, rather nicely detailed, of persons he thought might be a security risk, based on their behavior and their writings. I am inclined to think he was right to do so, but bring it up only to note that Mr. Orwell was not averse to security measures we might find distasteful.
In general, I find most everyone misuses Orwell to support their political position of the moment or, just as bad, to support having a sentiment instead of a political position. The only advice I can offer is to not use Orwell at all. It might be best simply to read him.
--Stephen MIller
For somebody who keeps complaining about somebody else, I notice that you failed the address the fact that McClellan seems to be claiming that bipartisan complaints about Bush are coming only from Democrats. Why is that?
Iggy,
First of all, I'm not complaining about someone else, I'm complaining about you. Let's be straight here. I'm a right-wing Repo, as I've already admitted. Clearly, you are not. You are a leftie, as opposed to what I believe on most issues as possible.
Fair enough. That said, it seems to me it should be possible for Right and Left to speak to one another. Not necessarily kindly, or with anything more than the very minimum of politeness. And rarely, if ever, agreeably. But we should be able to speak to one another, honestly and directly.
As I see it, you tend to hide behind a partisan cloud. You bring up what Anne Coulter or Rush Limbaugh say, as if that should matter for anyone with a mind. Don't you see just how silly that is?
Now you tell me that I've not given due attention to what McClellan said. Did I mention McClellan, or what he (she?) said at all in my comment? Did I mention the original article at all, other than to chastise you about Orwell?
You see, that was my one and only point. I honestly do believe Orwell (who I accept as what he saw himself as, by the way: a man of the Left) would have found your use of him rather distasteful. And, more to the point, I wanted to try to do something about the egregious misuse of Orwell, by all concerned, Right, Left, Center, and nowadays, Apathetic (consumer).
Now, is that not something we could perhaps agree upon, or at least talk sensibly about?
--Stephen Miller
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