Bush League

I heard the President's press conference this morning, one of a series he's been giving lately in an effort to shore up his falling approval ratings.

Now I recall that back in the 20th Century, a bunch of folks howled for President Clinton's political blood, and actually went through the political upheaval of an impeachment trial (which, in another country, would probably have led to civil war) because Clinton cheated on his wife and then lied about it. True, that was the act of a cad, but hardly a crime of constitutional dimensions.

What then should be the reaction to George W. Bush, who exhorted Congress to pass the Patriot Act (and even now practically calls the senators opposed to it traitors), had the advantage of a FISA court that could deliver search warrants, without a showing of probable cause, in short turnaround, and nevertheless admits to bugging American citizens without a warrant? Who says he's done it multiple times, and will keep doing it as long as America's enemies threaten (i.e., forever)?

Of course, he says he only uses this "program" for short-term eavesdropping, and uses a FISA warrant or the Patriot Act procedure for longer-term wiretaps (what's the definition or short or long-term?); only uses it for known Al-Qaeda members (how do they know?), and only for calls going in and out of the country (i.e., they're getting wire taps within the United States without warrants).

There will always be barbarians at the gate. There will always be reasons to surrender our civil rights for the greater good. Our leaders must remember that are rights are a good chunk of what they are striving to defend.