I tuned into the Diane Rehm Show on WAMU today in order to listen to Charles Krauthammer make his pathetic defense of the shameful practice of torture. He didn't show up today so she had a round table instead, discussing various topics including torture, domestic spying and presidential power. The three guests were all identified as conservatives. Bruce Fine, the Republican council during the Iran-Contra investigations, Norman Ornstein from the American Enterprise Institute and David Keen (sp?) from the American Conservative Union. Uh oh, I thought, this is going to be bad. Boy, was I suprised during the first half of the show.
All three of them expressed views on presidential power that wouldn't be out of line with views expressed here. The American Conservative Union guy was particuarly savage, calling Bush's assertion that he can authorize domestic spying "presidential overreach". Bruce Fine called the "ticking time bomb" arguement for torture a "straw man" and asserted that inhumane treatment creates terrorists. And Norm Ornstein gave a rundown on the FISA courts that pointed out that the FISA courts were created in order to grant speedy surveillance warrants and that they rarely deny them. And one of them very explicitly pointed out that Bush broke the law when he authorized wiretaps without authority. One listener e-mail, the only one read in the first 2/3rds of the program actually brought up the "i" word.
Bruce Fine stated that if Bush is not contrite about authorizing domestic spying, then that is an impeachable offense. And Norm Ornstein agreed with him with qualifications.
It seems obvious after listening to these three conservatives that the President has lost the thoughtful members of the right wing. One of them actually voiced the opinion that its going to take a left/right coalition in Congress to limit Presidential authority. I have taken heart from this round table - three conservatives who sound fed up and who seem genuinely worried about the direction taken by the Bush Administration.