Tom McMillan writes that he disagrees with my statement that the American public will probably forgive some bending of the law if they buy that the wiretaps were done to catch genuine terrorists and ward off another 9/11. He writes…
Not all Americans; I, for one, do not. What is supposed to set us apart from other states (good and bad) is due process, a philosophy inherited from Anglo-Saxon juristry (the rulers of modern Britain should be ashamed of themselves). This includes following the law to spy on people — whether citizens of the U.S. or not. And why should rulers always be forced to do this? Because they abuse this power shamelessly otherwise.
But I actually don't disagree with that. By "the American public," I meant the majority…or whatever large percentage would have to buy the rationale for Bush not to lose a few more points of popularity over the revelation. I don't think the excuse will play badly with a certain segment of those who still support him. There are people out there so terrified of another 9/11 and/or so eager to see putative terrorists eviscerated that they'll excuse any trampling of laws. That was almost the Dana Rohrabacher argument in that debate to which I linked: The other guys killed 3,000 of us so we can't be worried with little things like ignoring the Constitution.
The question I'd like to see some journalist put to Bush is this: "You say the Patriot Act and other activities like this wiretapping are necessary to protect America. If your legal advisors told you these practices were illegal, would you authorize them anyway?" I suspect there are a lot of people in this country who'd think it was heroic and admirable to answer in the affirmative.
While I'm on the topic: I watched Bush's speech a little while ago. My feeling is that he's down to offering reassurance to those still on his side, and that he has nothing to offer those who've already turned against him and this war. Given how many lives have been ended or shattered by this military action — and how many more will still be sacrificed, to say nothing of the dollar cost — I find it all very sad. Every so often, I get an e-mail from someone who says something like, "You must be thrilled at every bit of bad news that comes out of Iraq." No, not at all…and I wouldn't think much of anyone who was. This whole thing's like a speeding bus and we're all trapped on it. Bush ain't the guy I would have chosen to drive, and he has yet to convince me he knows the route or even that the trip was a good idea in the first place. But either way, when he drives us off a cliff, he takes all of us with him.
