Why Domestic Spying Harms Intelligence Services

The latest scandal out of this White House is, of course, that Bush authorized domestic electronic surveillance. As demonstrated at Wampum and Political Animal (among many others) this is illegal activity, just as torturing detainees is.

Let's for a moment drop any notion of the supremacy of civil liberties in America or cherished sentiments about the conduct of war that literally date back to George Washington's Revolutionary Army and recognize that when the executive branch mandates that subordinates break the law, those subordinates become subject to criminal penalties for such behavior.

When I see people cheerleading torture or fuming not about spying on Americans but Americans learning that they may be spied upon, I stand in awe of the delusional mental state that allows one to think that we are strengthened when those who protect us will face prosecution for what they were ordered to do. This is the kind of knuckleheaded leadership that Bush has pushed from the get-go, and it will never make America a better nation. To the contrary--it robs us of our moral bearing, our global standing, and the talents of qualified individuals who will be scapegoated or prosecuted to clean up the executive's mess.