from Media Matters:
That's some catch, that Catch-22So look, the administration decides it has the right to spy on anyone whenever it feels like it, for whatever reasons it feels like. That position has no constitutional support, but a federal appeals court rules that the only people with a right to protest this in court are those who can demonstrate a material interest in the case. Thing is, the policy is conducted in secret -- remember they are "secret wiretaps" -- so the only people who have a material interest aren't allowed to know about it.
Pretty nifty, huh?
This is how a people loses its liberties, and to these bozos -- it's almost too terrible to think about. (I mean, imagine what a loser you have to be for George W. Bush to call you "Fredo.")
In re, Libby: Byron York seems to have things exactly wrong here. In the first place, look at this high-level proof he trots out for his argument that Bush has lost his base:
"Bush fatigue has set in," declares one plugged-in GOP activist.
"We're ready for a new president," says a former state Republican Party official in the South.
"There was affection," opines a conservative strategist based well beyond the Beltway, "but now they're in divorce court."
What's next? " 'I'm really disappointed in him,' said the guy who cleans the pool over at Bill Buckley's." ...
If Bush is so over, why are these people -- not one of whom appears to have the slightest influence with anyone, from what we can glean from York's description -- so afraid to give their names or even significant identifying characteristics? ......(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://mediamatters.org/altercation/?f=h_column