Letters to the Editor

• Rove only lies when his lips are moving

  [Read the article: Bush and Bremer]
  [Read more letters about this article: Here]

  As usual, I love Mr. Blumenthal's dissection of the Bush administration's propaganda tactics and operational blunders. However, he somewhat glazed over one of the most egregious lies Rove has ever uttered- in his long illustrious career of lies and fabrications. Rove, during that same speech to the republican faithful actually said:

  “[S]ome leading Democrats have made wild and reckless and false charges against the president, and some even call for his removal from office. Let me be as clear as I can: 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. Some important Democrats clearly disagree.”

  This has gone relatively unreported in the media, so let me be as clear as I can: Not one single Democratic politician has said that we shouldn’t be spying on Al Qaeda. It is certainly in our national security interest to know is agents within the United States are communicating with Al Qaeda- that is undisputed. What Rove’s statement ignores is that there were lawful mechanisms in place for doing so that the president willfully ignored and circumvented. President Bush knew what the law was, and actively and purposefully decided that FISA only applied to him when it was convenient. This is not a “wild and reckless and false charge,” it is what the president himself has publicly admitted. And if intentionally violating an act of congress is not a potentially impeachable offense, nothing is. This is not a frivolous politically motivated accusation. It is the question of whether America is ruled by law or by tyranny.

  Rove and the Bush team have tried to craft the debate in such a way that if you are against spying on American citizens without court oversight, then you must want Al Qaeda to attack again. Democrats at all levels- from Washington to the grassroots- need to do everything possible to disrupt this meme before it gains traction and become the official party line. Rove has repeatedly used the Leninist tactic of repeating a lie often enough that it assumes the force of truth. Heck- it is Rove’s standard operating procedure, and he distributes his Talking Points to all the usual mouthpieces. Unless Democrats use the media and every other tool at our disposal, this lie will be repeated over and over, and eventually will become as entrenched in the American mind as the farcical idea that Saddam was responsible for 9/11. Americans are not all stupid- even the ones that voted to reelect Bush- but they are easily misled by those who offer simplistic solutions to complex problems. If the debate is framed as to whether we should be spying on Al Qaeda, Rove will win again. If we force the debate to be about spying without FISA warrants, Bush and his apologists have no reasonable defense.

  Permalink Thursday, January 26, 2006 07:52 AM