Bayh Discourages Dems from Making Issue of Illegal Wiretapping [View All]

[Rose Siding]

Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, who plans to visit Iowa today, on Friday discouraged fellow Democrats from making the Bush administration's use of wiretapping a campaign issue.

"This should not be a political fight," Bayh, who is weighing a campaign for president in 2008, said in a telephone interview.

.....Bayh, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has repeatedly said Democrats must prove that they understand national security and can keep people safe before they can expect to return to the majority nationally.

.....Some top Democrats, including Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, have complained that the practice violates Americans' civil liberties.

"We have to do what it takes to protect the country," he said. "It's in the administration's best interest that we do it in a way that reassures people that J. Edgar Hoover hasn't been exhumed."

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060211/NEWS09/602110323/1001/NEWS

Bayh not only cowers before the spin of the mighty Mehlman, he promotes the myth:

Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee, declared Friday that Democrats who have condemned the Bush administration's controversial eavesdropping program may not be suited to safeguard Americans against terror attacks.
"We do not and we never should question these Democrat leaders' patriotism, but we do question their judgment and we do question their ability to keep the American people safe," he said. "These are people we know love their country, the question is: Can they protect it?"

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/politics/13843940.htm