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• Friday, December 21, 2007 04:39 AM

  I'm reminded of this exchange

  I engaged in over at the National Association of Manufacturers blog. (The day of the Dodd showdown, they were among the more up-to-date sites covering it)

  http://blog.nam.org/archives/2007/12/new_white_house.php

  NAM:

  On the Senate floor a moment ago, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) just dismisses these arguments as scare tactics. Really? To us it seems like a reasoned argument based on human nature and legal principle, one that cites Kennedy's own colleagues in the Senate, those who serve on the Intelligence Committee.

  Most of the hysterical, fear-mongering rhetoric we've seen in this debate comes from the foes of effective intelligence, anti-Bush partisans and privacy absolutists.

  PHD:

  Human nature dictates that any activity which is not subject to review is invariably subject to abuse. Legal principle dictates that when a law is inconvenient, the proper course is to change the law first and then change you action, not to violate the law with impunity and then change it after the fact complete with sheilding for past flagrant violation.

  It would appear that your argument fails on both fronts.

  You may say that this means that I am a foe of effective intelligence, anti-Bush partisan or privacy absolutist but that would indicate to me that your argument has devolved into name calling and barely concealed self interest.

  NAM:

  UPDATE A commenter objects to the final sentence as name-calling. Pshaw. It's an accurate representation of the debate as out carried by special-interest groups and politicians. Sen. Bond and Sen. Hatch have spoken this afternoon in favor of the Senate Intelligence version of the bill, and their reasoned arguments avoided the too-quick charges of bad faith and criminality that those on the other side of the issue seem to enjoy.

  I only bring it up because it appears that impunging our motives while failing to address our arguments is fast becoming SOP.

  —Paul Dirks Read Paul Dirks's other letters
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