From KOS: Karl Rove is Tricking You Again

[Buttercup McToots]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/8/9/63824/53794


Karl Rove is Tricking You Again
by drational
Thu Aug 09, 2007 at 05:25:23 AM PDT
The FISA update was specifically pushed before the Congressional Summer Recess to generate exactly the reaction it has:

Remove Pressure from the Administration on purely domestic spying.
Fracture the Democratic Party, to create an issue of "more importance" to the progressives previously focusing their anger on the Administration.
If you have any doubts about why the Administration chose this time to ramrod FISA update through Congress, you should think hard and read below.

Furthermore, if you have bought into the current Democratic left-center schism, you are being manipulated by shrewd political players. You are a part of a media/issue framing exercise specifically designed to distract attention away from Administration illegality.

drational's diary :: ::
Since the 5/15/07 Testimony of James Comey before the SJC, the administration has felt heat in a way that it has never felt before:

The Comey Testimony revealed that the Administration was involved in something so illegal that Comey and at least 8 other high-ranking Administration officials were prepared to resign had the activity continued. This activity was a part of the NSA-driven surveillance Program, a part of the program that has not been acknowledged. For many reasons, I and others believe this activity involved wiretapping US Citizens without warrant, when those citizens are communicating purely on domestic soil.

The Administration is desperate to avoid exposure of the reason for Comey's resignation. In every hearing and public statement on Warrantless Wiretapping since the December 16, 2005 Risen and Lichtblau article, they have word-danced around the issue of domestic wiretapping, and pushed the selectively declassified portion of the NSA-driven Surveillance Program, the Terrorist Surveillance Program, TSP. They do this to hide the illegality.

By late July, the blogosphere was getting closer to this truth. Glen Greenwald, TPMMuckraker, and I and others here at DKos have been consistently pushing the importance of the Comey Testimony, and the illegality under the surface.

Finally, on August 1, 2007, the MSM Caught up with the Blogosphere. Dan Eggen at WaPo published an article dissecting the NSA-Program and noted that purely domestic wiretapping may have been a part of the overall NSA Program.

Then last week, after months of slow and steady negotiation on FISA update, the Administration needed it passed immediately. Importantly the FISA update does not make purely domestic spying legal- the FISA update, along with the selectively declassified "TSP", involves warrantless wiretapping of US Citizens only when they are communicating with foreigners. Thus, the update almost certainly does not legalize the illegality Comey et al were prepared to resign over.

The Administration was in a win-win situation

The Administration knew that despite the waning support on Iraq, a program sold as being "necessary to defeat Al Qaeda terrorists" could still garner support from enough "Blue Dogs" to get passed.
If it was not passed, the Administration would have the entire recess and beyond to label Dems as "Pro-terrorist". Anti-war is one thing, but "pro-terror" is another. Regardless of the Progressive Base's Civil Liberties pressure, Many Dems are afraid of this label.
If it was passed, the schism in the Democratic Party would become the news.
Regardless whether it passed, the framing around the FISA update is purely domestic-foreign surveillance activity, not domestic-domestic. All debates on the issue are stuck with this framing.
Anything that detracts attention from the Comey Testimony and the issue of domestic-domestic warrantless wiretap, allows the administration off the hook.
.
.

So what happened?

FISA Update was passed with Blue Dog support.
Crisis erupted in the progressive blogosphere- Progressive vs. Moderate Democrat is the theme.
MSM is playing right into the distraction frame.
Kos to debate Ford on MTP this Sunday
Right wing pundits fanning the flames:

While defending DNI Mike McConnell Robert Novak Opinion Piece in todays WaPo highlights the schism:

With the activist Democratic base bitterly opposed to eavesdropping but the party's leadership wary of challenging President Bush on protecting the country from terrorism....

The Big Scheme
If you doubt this outcome was planned and executed from the White House Political Arm (Rove), then you have been in a coma for the past 8 years. The predictable schism has been opened and will be exploited with precision, skill, and proficiency. Not only does the intra-party schism detract from the Warrantless Wiretap and DOJ Scandals, but it is designed to upgrade intra-party hostility for the rest of the primary season. Republicans want "Terror" as a central issue in 2008. Not scandals, Not Iraq, Not Health Care, Not Education, Not the Economy. Not anything but the issue on which they feel they have an advantage.
They are setting up an intra-party schism on "Fighting Terrorism" to generate talking points that Democrats are so disorganized that they cannot come to a cohesive middle in balancing Civil Liberties with "fighting terrorism". Of course the Republican answer is simply to eliminate Civil Liberties, but they, along with Fox News, will push, push, push focus onto terrorism in the coming year and a half. Civil Liberties are an abstraction for middle America, whereas terrorism is visceral.

Make no mistake, I believe the failure of House and Senate Democrats to stand up for Civil Liberties is a major issue. But I beg you not to let this issue consume you or the conflict to enlarge to overwhelm party unity. The Democratic Party cannot afford the luxury of a Pogrom, or fall prey AGAIN to Republican Framing. We escaped it in 2006, and must continue to do so.

Lets get beyond this schism quickly, and back to the business of exposing Republican Malfeasance and unifying the party platform to win in 2008. Encouragingly, despite the Summer Recess, Patrick Leahy is still working and still focused on the Prosecutor Purge Scandal and Warrantless Wiretapping issues raised by the Comey testimony:



Leahy Persists. HJC and SJC investigation persists. The call for a Special Prosecutor to investigate Gonzales is still on the table. Keep the focus. Keep the faith. And keep fighting the real enemy on the other side of the aisle who is trying to play you for a sucker.

[billyoc]

1. Man, that website is unreadable. I hear they have some pretty good

things to say, but I'll have to take everybody's word for it, I can't make heads or tails of the thing. :shrug:

[rurallib]

10. Kos is unreadable? Bill O'Loofah can read it and he's a moran.

[The Backlash Cometh]

15. Bill picked up on the problem.

He said that the majority of the people who go to dailykos, are only there for one second or one minute. It's true. I get angry because I can't tell where I have to click to open up someone's entire post. It looks like I have to click in two windows to get into someone's entry which I think is silly. I've tried several times, but outside of following a link from DU, I don't stay on long enough to learn the system.

I think kos is great, though!

[The Backlash Cometh]

14. Dailykos?

I think Markos needs to work on it. I like the color scheme, but everything else needs to be reformatted.

[speakclearly]

18. Daily Kos has me a bit disturbed...........

I saw this on the news:
http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2007/lr20228.htm
Daily Kos blogger Jerome Armstrong has agreed to pay nearly $30,000 in fines in a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission over allegations that Armstrong touted the stock of a software company, without disclosing that he was being paid to do so.

Is Daily Kos taking corporate money and doing their bidding? Are they an undercover part of the vast right-wing corporate conspiracy that aims to take over the nation and turn it into a Facist state? Are they co-opting us from the left now that they have the right all locked up? Can we trust these guys on anything any more?

Ya know, I thought Soros and lately Buffet and Gates were actually on our side, That they were rich, but were some of the good guys. Now I am beginning to wonder. Has this all been a ploy to suck us all in from both sides? Kind of a "double envelopment" to use military jargon? When we are asked to make our political donations through Kos, is that just a "sleight of hand" to finance a big takeover by the priviledged corporate class in America?

I hope none of the above is true. Jerome didn't actually admit guilt, he pleaded no contest and paid the fine. Maybe he was just "set up". But if he actually took corporate money to tout some software company in his book, it sure taints the integrity of the people who run Daily Kos!

[Pale Blue Dot]

2. Don't get angry! It's what Karl Rove wants!

He knows we can't be angry about more than one thing at a time!

:eyes:

[librechik]

19. He knows the media only obsess over one thing at a time

and as soon as a new subject is introduced, they drop the old one like it never existed.

[Exiled in America]

26. Seriously. What a fucking pile of BULLSHIT.

[spindoctor]

3. I can walk and chew gum, all at the same time

Or is this guy suggesting we should just let FISA slide? Also, are we to believe that every time the Democrats fuck up it is because another cunning plan sprung from the devious depths of Rove's mastermind?
If democrats can be manipulated into covering up all schemes and scandals in the Bush Administration then my first thought is "We need more Democrats!"

[kikiek]

4. That sounds exactly right to me. Was discussing it yesterday. Unfortunately it is probably going to

work. I wonder how Rove knows how to manipulate people so well. He takes it to a whole new level too. Apparently people fail to see it even when pointed out. Like you're slamming their intelligence. Oh well go on Karl no one will listen.

[Double T]

8. rove is a super psychopath. Manipulating the masses is his job.......

and he does it extremely well. How many times are 'WE' going to let bushco and him make a damn fool out of 'US'? There is nothing worse than being set up, knowing that you are being set up, and then letting it happen.

[KoKo]

5. Drational makes some interesting points....but is basically telling us to ignore what

was done. There was already an agreement that Reid made with McConnel, then McConnel at the last minute wanted more...Senate gave it to him it was pushed to the House and Nancy could have made the decision to go a couple of ways on this. We have every right to be angry with those Dems who crossed over and with Reid who changed the original bill and Pelosi who could have stopped it in the House. This should be anger by all Americans as to what was done. This is not a DLC vs. Progressive issue. It's an issue that gives a perjuring Attorney General supreme power along with his handholding President.

It's a disgrace.

[Botany]

6. of course Karl is using this as a wedge issue but .....

...... that does not forgive the dems who voted for the new FISA law.

And anybody w/ a brain would already know that bush/Cheney/Rove/Gonzales
were using the NSA spying for illegal reasons .... so why did so many dems
vote to give them "a pass" on their crimes?

[iconoclastic cat]

7. Total straw-man bullshit. I posted a response saying so.

"Oh, don't be mad at Dems! It's your fault for taking your eye off the ball!"

Bullshit.

[Pale Blue Dot]

9. There have been a LOT of strawmen lately.

Those defending this FISA crap have got nothing else, it seems.

[The Backlash Cometh]

11. See, that's how stupid I am. I just assumed that George Bush was spying

on American citizens domestically without a search warrant. I never doubted that for a minute. And I suspect that everyone already knows what this is about, and all the powers that be are still stalling on his impeachment.

[porphyrian]

12. Maybe we're tricking rove into thinking he's tricking us.

It's good to keep that asshat in mind, but not everything is a machination of his design, for fuck's sake.

[Larkspur]

13. I can be angry at both Bush, Repukes and turncoat Dems

Democrats who vote with Bush need to be rebuked and if possible primaried by progressive candidates.

[Exiled in America]

25. No shit! I love this idea that we can't demand EVERYONE be accountable.

Only if they have "R"s after their name.

Otherwise, we're being "duped" when we refuse to bend over in front of appeasing cowardly democratic leadership and too many members of congress.

I am so sick of this fucking bullshit I could just vomit.

[KharmaTrain]

16. Yup...They Wedged First

He's spot on with the motivations and the timing. This was ramroded purposely to create a division among Democrats...instead of the Democrats keeping the pressure on the obstructionist Repugnicans who are the ones really creating the problems. It diverted from the Repugnicans tactics of obstructing and delaying and put the pressure, once again, on Pelosi and Reid to pick the lesser of evils. In many ways, the leadership put this problem on themselves this time...bowing to some unnamed fear that somehow compelled the leadership to allow these bad bills to the floor and to pass.

The saving grace on this vote is we know who are friends are and who we need to keep eyes on. The Rove/GOOP endgame right now is to kick the war/can past next year's primaries and to use the power of the purse to maintain party dicipline until that point. You won't see Repugnicans seriously break with this regime as long as they see millions in RNC funds and associated contributions coming their way. The electorate can wait...so can public opinion.

The real yardstick to watch for is if Pelosi follows up on her promise to bring this bill back up in September for a bigger hearing/investigation.

The ultimate problem will fall on the Repugnicans as they will disintigrate into a nasty primary in the month ahead and how they'll try to "run for the middle" after the primaries. Sadly more will die and billions will be squandered in the duration.

[Buttercup McToots]

17. Dube

[glitch]

28. dube du. nt

[Vinnie From Indy]

20. Bullshit!

I call bullshit on the OP.

One major reason Bush and the Rethugs poll better than Dems on the solitary issue of terror is precisely because Dems have not forcefully and cohesively attacked his dumb ass on that very point. The facts are clear! Terror attacks around the world are waaaaaaay up. The Taliban is resurging.

My point is quite simply that the Dems might want to consider doing what the Rethugs have done so well the last few years and attack the perceived STRENGTH of their oppononents.

This advice sounds like another way to say "we need to keep our powder dry".

IN addition, Bush did not schedule the FISA legislation for a vote, the Democrats did.

[Junkdrawer]

21. BULLSHIT - This time the Dem Leadership was complicit and they were caught....

I still trust Leahy, but the rest are on my shit list...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1529413

[Exiled in America]

24. Bingo! Thank you!

[lala_rawraw]

22. People cannot be manipulated without their

permission... this is not about Rove playing dirty politics, because we already know this. it is about the Dems allowing themselves to be manipulated. that is the issue. it is not about a rift in the Dem party. i think we all agree that the Dems failed on this. so where is the rift? i am curious... show me the rift.

[Exiled in America]

23. That is the stupidest thing I've ever read. But hey, its good to have another apologists post here

[Marr]

27. So much bullshit.

Anger at so-called "centrist" Democrats (especially the leadership) over the FISA collapse inherently includes the Bush Administration. The suggestion that people who are angry at Democrats for colluding with the Bush Administration are somehow forgetting or forgiving the Bush Administration is almost too asinine to comment on.

If I had to make a guess, I'd say they chose this particular time to make this push because we're going into the summer break, 9-11 happened after the summer break, and the more cowardly and right-leaning Democrats would be afraid of the Republican accusations that they'd 'gone on vacation and left us vulnerable'.

If anyone's being manipulated by political spin, it's the person who made this ludicrous argument.

[debbierlus]

30. Agreed. They are covering their asses for legal battles to come

Rove is a moron. Stop helping the myth of the mad genius Rove.

The DEMS fractured the party by voting against the Constitution.

[debbierlus]

29. So??? This is a fight that needs to happen, dems voting with Republicans

THEY are fracturing the party, not us, by holding them to account.

This is long overdue. We behave & keep the status quo to protect the dems & get them elected, but what do we get for it?

Two stolen Presidential elections, a Congress that won't stand up for the Constitution, & circular dialogue with a dead-lock. I know it is hard, I realize that we want to support the dems and not 'fracture' the party. But, whether confront it or ignore it, the party is already fractured. People will naturally gravitate to the more progressive side as the country falls apart & they look to find a way out of the crisis this government is creating. Better to be strong on the progressive front & ready to lead, then play a game that doesn't work & keeps us forever in this destructive cycle.

So be it.