submandave

Ann Althouse cuts quickly to a key point in GEN Hayden's nomination to run the CIA: the roll the NSA surveillance program will play in confirmation hearings. I don't think the White House is solely playing politics with this, but I do smell another Rope-a-Dope brewing with this nomination. Nothing will emphasize with Joe Sixpack the relative difference between the Republican and Democrat approach to national security than hearing another chorus of how monitoring international calls involving suspected terrorists outside the US is a deadly threat to all Americans' civil liberties. I've not seen any statistics to prove it, but I'd bet a paycheck that over 50% of Americans don't even know how to dial an international phone number.

Let's see, on the one hand we have frothing mouth-breathing Democrat Senators and pundits making claims of civil liberty violations without a single specific claimant or example and on the other hand we have a calm, well-spoken military man explaining how the surveillance was limited just to those with international contacts with known or suspected terrorists. Which do you think will come out looking better to the public? The only strike I can see against GEN Hayden is that horribly ugly blue Air Farce uniform.