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• Tuesday, May 15, 2007 09:25 PM

  Tony's Snow Job & the "big lie, oft told"

  While Tony Snow's press conference contained even more than the usual number of condescending obfuscations & nonsensical evasions it was more remarkable for the shameless mendacity of the few actual answers he deigned to give. Not so long ago, telegenic Tony was better than most at answering the question he wished he was asked rather than the one he was. He now seems too tired to bother, settling for the timeworn Rovian tactic of the "big lie, told often".

  Firstly, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Snow blithely asserts, about the domestic surveillance program: "There were strong protections in there...multiple layers of review". Really? Congress, constitutional scholars & federal judges were just nit-picking. Then, as Glenn notes, he cravenly cites some (apparently needless) bi-partisan FISA legislative reform that had the singular disadvantage of non-existence. Which was fine, really, because as Tony assured us the illegal surveillance already had "strong protections...multiple layers".

  Ultimately though, the non-existent-but-unnecessary-anyway FISA reform didn't even matter because, of course:

  "The terrorist surveillance program saved lives. Period." While casually implying that the millions of Americans actually surveilled were terrorists, Snow & the administration expect others to just take it on faith that illegal spying, like rendition & torture, "saved lives. Period". Since the government has been spectacularly unable, despite bold claims & thousands of arrests, to successfully prosecute ANY substantive terrorist charges, life-threatening or otherwise, the claim of "saved lives. Period", is arguably the biggest lie of all.

  —DanJoaquinOz Read DanJoaquinOz's other letters
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