The Dem IM

To:	JudgeDredd
	The Dem IM: YOU ARE NOT THE LAW!

Democrats have done an awful job of framing the Bush spy scandal over the last couple weeks. The argument is NOT whether the President should be able to spy on Americans. It is NOT whether constitutional scholars see potential issues in the policy. It is NOT about a choice between immediate action or waiting for a court order. It is NOT about the President’s potential mis-reading of the Constitution or the 9/11 resolution.

This is about the President knowingly and unapologetically breaking the law. Under current law, the President could spy on Americans without a court order provided that they notified the FISA court by 3 days later. 3 DAYS LATER. Even if they took the weekend off, they could shoot an e-mail over to FISA saying:

Oh, BTW,

We spied on Ashlee Simpson. Turns out she’s not a
terrorist.

TTYL,
White House

Nevertheless, for reasons that still have not been enumerated, the President chose to break the law. Democrats must take this argument out of the context of national security and place it in the context of the President purposely and unneccessarily using his office to commit a crime against the American people. I honestly believe if this is played correctly we can produce a significant support for an investigation or hearings about impeachment.

“This is your problem. You see the world in black and white.”
“No, not black or white, Ritter. Right or wrong!.. You’re going to jail pal. You broke the law.” – Jack Ryan, Clear and Present Danger

TAGS: Muscle, Framing, Missed Opportunities, NSA, Impeachment