Online On Politics
Playing the 9/11 card—a sure winner
After the initial disclosure of the fact that the president authorized warrantless wiretaps on Americans, the White House was on the ropes — wondering whether the Democrats had finally gotten the best of the GOP. After all, this is easily characterized as a matter of civil liberties — and Americans are notoriously protective of their rights to privacy. They were calling the administration Big Brother, and that's a case that was easy for them to make.
But then the polls came out showing that Americans are also notoriously protective of their families. When asked whether the president was right to authorize these wiretaps, the public was split. That was enough evidence for the administration to understand that it needed to go on the offensive — making its case to the American people.
It's simple, and right to the point: If al Qaeda is calling, we want to know about it..
Suddenly, the White House was everywhere making its case.Thepresident's key political strategist, Karl Rove, laid out the game plan last week in a speech to the Republican National Committee.
"President Bush believesif al Qaeda is calling somebody, it is in our national security interest to know who they're calling and why," he said, adding, "Some important Democrats clearly disagree." So do some important Republicans — libertarian conservatives like Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, for example, and Sen. John McCain — but no matter.
It's a natural case to make for the White House.
So it comes down to this: If the Democrats succeed in getting Americans to believe this is a threat to their personal civil liberties, they could win the political issue. But if the Republicans succeed in getting Americans to believe this is a matter of national security — an area in whichRepublicans still outpoll Democrats by double-digit margins — the Republicans could win this one. And they're not taking any chances: Just this week, the president, the attorney general, and the former head of the National Security Agency were all out there making their case. Whether the Democrats can get enough tractionin their response remains to be seen.
As Sen. John Kerry said about the White House over the weekend, "Every time they have a problem, they play the 9/11 card." That is probably true. And much of the time, it works.