Tom Vilsack apparently believes that the president should be allowed to
break the law if challenging him on an issue might possibly risk being politically unpopular (via
Political Wire):
"If the president broke the law, that's unacceptable. But I think it's debateable whether he did," Vilsack told Des Moines Register editors and reporters.
"And I think Democrats are falling into a very, very large political trap," he said. "Democrats are not going to win elections until they can reassure people they are going to keep them safe."
Needless to say, this does not reassure me that Democrats like Tom Vilsack can keep Americans safe. Nor does it reassure me that Democrats like Tom Vilsack know anything about winning politics.
After all, Republicans disagree with Tom Vilsack:
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC): "The FISA Act was-created a court set up by the chief justice of the United States to allow a rapid response to requests for surveillance activity in the war on terror. I don't know of any legal basis to go around that."
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA): ""There is no doubt that this is inappropriate."
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ): "WALLACE: But you do not believe that currently he has the legal authority to engage in these warrant-less wiretaps. MCCAIN: You know, I don't think so..."
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS): "I am troubled by what the basis for the grounds that the administration says that they did these on, the legal basis..."
And Americans disagree with Tom Vilsack:
By a margin of 52 to 43 percent, citizens want Congress to impeach President Bush if he wiretapped American citizens without a judge's approval, according to a new poll commissioned by AfterDowningStreet.org, a grassroots coalition that supports a Congressional investigation of Pres. Bush's decision to invade Iraq in 2003.
Politics aside, it is essential that the NSA hearings be substantial and meaningful. There is hopefully broad-based bipartisan support for such an inquiry, from Republicans like Brownback and McCain running hard away from Bush in '08, to stalwart defenders of civil liberties like Sen. Feingold.
Statements like this not only make a small-state governor like Vilsack look like a complete joke on national security, running with his tail between his legs from Karl Rove. They also hurt the country by making it less likely such meaningful hearings will be held.
Shame on Tom Vilsack for playing into Karl Rove's hands. He will never have my vote for anything.