Conservative Republicans Take the Point on FBI/CIA Criticism
from the wacky-world-of-politics dept.
Ronald Brownstein at the L.A. Times (login required; cypherpunk/cypherpunk) has an interesting story about how the political assault on the FBI and CIA over missteps leading up to 9/11 is being led by an unlikely trio of senators, all of them conservative Republicans: Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, and Charles E. Grassley of Iowa. The three have a history of annoyance with federal law enforcement that dates to the Clinton/Janet Reno era. Also, I have to wonder if they’re going after FBI Director Robert S. Mueller in order to keep the blame from working its way up to Mueller’s boss, Attorney General John Ashcroft, who is both a darling of the right and a former senator himself. My favorite quote from the article is the one where an unidentified “senior Senate Democratic strategist” says “I am more than comfortable letting the Republicans stake out this turf… It is just much, much safer.” Safer. Right. Don’t run any political risks to protect your constituents from terrorism; it’s much more important to ensure your own re-election. I know that makes me feel safer.
