Watering Down The Kool-Aid

In the poll I posted earlier, we see now (thanks to a slightly better worded poll), a majority of Americans (56%) believe the government needs to get the legally required warrants to eavesdrop. Ignoring those undecided, a minority 42% feel it is perfectly okay to conduct the surveillance without any legal oversight. That number is probably exactly where Bush's approval ratings are about now (although it's back on a downward trend). See what that poll really ended up reflecting?

It's been obvious for a while now through the ups and downs of the past year (Iraq, Katrina/New Orleans, indictments, etc.), that there is a base of support for the President (around 32% on the low end, around 40% on the high end) no matter what happens. They support him fully. Not necessarily any particular goal, ideal, or principle... just the President. To them, he is the ideal. He represents America and America's success depends on his complete political success and the destruction of his political enemies (because they are trying to hurt him and, therefore, America). They have to believe him; their worldview depends on the black-and-white idea of Bush as the strong leader doing everything to keep them safe and protect their money and families. This isn't without precedent. Heck, even Nixon still had a 25-28% approval rating the week he resigned. They had Nixon on tape conspiring and discussing crimes and over a quarter of the country still stood by him. Some people just need to believe. In some odd way, the President is their religion. The second commandment would be so pissed.

I have two links relevant to this tonight (both by Glenn Greenwald)- the first explains the mental/logistical gymnastic Bush's supporters are performing in order to justify the warrantless spying program; the second explores how to break the fog of fear the Bush administration has created to keep its supporters in line.

#1- Sharing our "secrets" with Osama

One of the most revealing aspects of the NSA scandal has been the way in which Bush followers have been running around shrieking that national security has been damaged and treason has been committed by the New York Times. All of that is based upon the Times' disclosure that Bush ordered the NSA to eavesdrop without judicial oversight (rather than with it). Now that the initial screaming and demands for hangings are dying down a little, his followers are confronted with the fact that this accusation makes no sense whatsoever, since whether we eavesdrop with judicial oversight or without it can’t possibly be of any use to terrorists.

What has become unavoidably apparent is that their rage over this disclosure stems from the fact that it has embarrassed George Bush and harmed his political interests, not that it has harmed the national interests of the United States. But to them, George Bush is America, and whatever he does is, by definition, the national security of the U.S. Thus, to undermine or impede George Bush -- even to point out that he broke the law -- is, in their minds, to impede the United States and therefore to commit treason...

#2- Attacking Bush's only weapon: Fear

Among those who now recognize that the Bush Administration has not just deliberately and repeatedly broken the law, but is literally claiming that George Bush has the “wartime” power to continue to break the law, there is a growing impatience to move to the next step – to take action to ensure that there are serious consequences from Bush’s brazen law-breaking. But in order for that to happen, Bush opponents must finally overcome the one weapon which has protected George Bush again and again: fear. Fear of terrorism is what the Administration has successfully inflamed and exploited for four years in order to justify its most extreme and even illegal actions undertaken in the name of fighting terrorism...

...It is that deeply irrational, fear-driven view of the world which has to be undermined in order to make headway in convincing Americans that this Administration is engaged in intolerable excesses and abuses of its power. The argument which needs to be made is the one that we have seen starting to arise in the blogosphere and elsewhere: that living in irrational fear of terrorists and sacrificing our liberties and all of our other national goals in their name is the approach of hysterics and cowards, not of a strong, courageous and resolute nation...

If only there was an easy way to convince them. I'm not capable of it, so I'll just leave it with Ben for now.

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-Benjamin Franklin

PS- A round-up/debunking of talking points on this issue can be found here.