Rhetorical Outbursts

What if you had a Constitutional crisis and nobody cared?

The administration is finally doing a decent job of responding to the NSA Intercept “scandal.” In fact, I defy any reasonable person to watch yesterday’s speech by General Michael Hayden, Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, with an open mind and still think that there is some sort of massive “domestic spying” going on here.

Sounds like most folks get it anyway[PDF]:

When you hear of government officials anonymously leaking top-secret national security information to the press, are you more inclined to think of the officials as patriots who are blowing the whistle because they think something illegal might be going on, or traitors who are leaking government secrets and possibly causing harm to the country?

• Whistle-blowers: 27%
• Traitors: 50%
• Not sure: 23%

Do you think the president should or should not have the power to authorize the National Security Agency to monitor electronic communications of suspected terrorists without getting warrants, even if one end of the communication is in the United States?

• Should: 58%
• Should not: 36%
• Not sure: 6%