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WHITE HOUSE WATCH Polls bolster Bush on domestic spying Position reversal on hearings could be linked to public ambivalence on wiretapping issue By JULIE MASON Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON - In a noteworthy reversal, President Bush last week said he would welcome congressional hearings on whether he was legally in bounds to allow spying on Americans without obtaining search warrants first.
At a forum in Kentucky, Bush was asked by a member of the audience about "that National Security Agency thing," a reference to the super-secret agency's domestic eavesdropping program, which has roiled Washington since it was disclosed last month.
"There will be a lot of hearings and talk about that, but that's good for democracy," Bush said. "I invite patriotic Americans to discuss what I did and continue to do," he urged.
As a rule, the White House does not invite congressional meddling on any subject. But Bush's about-face can be traced to at least two strategic considerations.
First, polls have shown that the public doesn't care all that much about the program, which permits domestic wiretapping of phone calls and e-mail without first obtaining a court order.
An ABC News/Washington Post poll found that about 50 percent consider wiretapping an acceptable way for the federal government to investigate terrorism, and 65 percent said it's more important to investigate threats than safeguard privacy.
The same poll found that 32 percent believe personal privacy rights trump the need to investigate possible threats.
Another key factor in Bush's thinking was the performance last week of prominent Democratic senators in Samuel Alito's Supreme Court nomination hearings.
In the days leading up to the hearings, White House spokesman Scott McClellan repeatedly issued warnings that Bush was expecting dignified proceedings.
But whatever the occasion, the Senate Judiciary Committee is a hotbed for partisan speechifying. Alito came under tough questioning by Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Sen. Charles Schumer of New York.
The White House expressed outrage at what it considered a lack of dignity and propriety shown by Democrats.
Cheney gives Fox his take on Alito hearings
When the Alito hearings started looking dicey, the White House got Vice President Dick Cheney on the horn -- to Fox News.
Cheney, who remains popular within the Republican Party, is often deployed to rally the grass-roots on behalf of the administration.
Checking in with host Tony Snow by telephone, Cheney took issue with a line of questioning Kennedy put to Alito about whether the administration has the right to skirt a ban on torture when it comes to investigating terrorism, a position the vice president supports.
"Sometimes I think people get caught up in trying to make a political argument so that they don't spend a lot of time on the facts with respect to any particular situation," he said.
A few hours later, Cheney rang up commentator Sean Hannity, sounding even more upset about the hearings.
"I think Judge Alito has acquitted himself very well, and I can't say the same for some of the senators," he said.
No, he's not quitting, and he's not running
Cheney was briefly hospitalized after experiencing shortness of breath, which was later attributed to a reaction to anti-inflammatory drugs he was taking for a foot condition.
The recurring health woes of the 64-year-old renewed speculation that he could step down and allow Bush to appoint a replacement who could run for president in 2008. One problem: The White House has no heir apparent for Bush's right-hand man.
Cheney, who has had four heart attacks, also sought to dispel any notions that he's flagging -- or that he's going to run himself in
2008."I'm doing fine," Cheney told Snow. "I'm back at work."
As to 2008, Cheney said, "No, when I finish this tour, that's going to be it."
Short take
"You took an oath to defend our flag and our freedom, and you kept that oath, underseas and under fire," Bush on Tuesday told the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
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Copyright 2006 HoustonChronicle.com --