“The founding fathers didn’t trust George Washington with unlimited power. Why should we trust George Bush?”
I have no idea whether Sean Maloney would make a good Attorney General for New York, or for that matter a good Democratic nominee for Attorney General. Nor is it obvious to me, one way or the other, whether warrantless wiretapping is an effective issue in a state-level race, or whether New York State has standing to object to federal wiretapping efforts.
[Here’s a link to the proposed complaint. I’d be interested in informed legal commentary.]
But one thing I’m dead certain of: Maloney, or someone on his campaign, has come up with the perfect formulation of the question. The implied contrast between Washington’s honesty and Bush’s … well, let’s just say “policy” … couldn’t be more effective. This is a line that ought to be in every liberal and Democratic speech and essay on the subject.
“Unlimited power” for the President and an “open-ended commitment” in Iraq. Two excellent things to run against.