Leading with civil liberties (on Spygate) is stupid.

[gulliver]

We should be leading with the lying, exaggerating, and understating by the Bush Administration. Then lawbreaking. Then constitutional checks and balances. Then civil liberties.

The sad fact about civil liberties is that people don't care about the civil liberties of people they don't like. And they are convinced that it is only the people they don't like who have had their civil liberties violated. Not only are people not concerned, they actually take pleasure in thinking Bush is spying on "degenerates" unlike themselves. So scream about civil liberties all you want, and scream about privacy, but if you do, realize people are going to classify you with pornographers and whiners in "time of war."

It's the stupidity, stupid. People will believe Bush spin, no matter how stupid they have to be to believe it.

We should be pounding on Bush's shaky credibility. We should be leading with the fact that Bush lied about seeking warrants, that he lied or exaggerated when he characterized Spygate as vital to our national security, that Cheney lied or exaggerated when he said 9/11 could have been prevented by Spygate. If Spygate was so vital, how many arrests have been made? If Cheney thinks 9/11 would have been prevented, be openly skeptical and scornful about it. Make them prove it.

Point out Bush broke the law at every opportunity. Point out that Bush is using the Constitution like toilet paper, and destroying the government.

But don't make privacy and civil liberties the main issue unless you can find a sympathetic victim (good luck) or can show that Bush spygated on Kerry or Fitzgerald, etc.