crhoades
11-15-2007, 11:22 AM
http://reason.com/news/show/123496.html
Excerpt:
reason: Yet it happened. You called your book A Nation of Sheep, which indicates a pretty low opinion of the people who would let their elected representatives do this to them. But Bush’s approval ratings are pretty low—it seems as if there is something about his administration that’s begun to piss people off. You must have a lot of opportunity to hear from the public with your status as a big public voice on these issues—how upset are Americans about all this?
Napolitano: There is more widespread feeling [against these assaults on our liberty] than you would think, though I have discovered that widespread feeling after coming up with the title of the book! One place I’ve discovered a lot of it I didn’t expect…I speak to lots of right to life groups; I describe myself as “fiercely pro-life,” and I’ve found among right to life groups tremendous disdain with the president and the Congress about abuse of the Constitution, much to my surprise. If while talking about Roe v. Wade I make a comment about Bush and Congress tampering with the Constitution, I’m interrupted with a standing ovation at right to life gatherings, so there is this undercurrent of anger [over the Bush-era assaults on the Constitution].
Another platform for that undercurrent is the campaign of Ron Paul. Congressman Paul has rejuvenated almost single-handedly the Goldwater wing of the GOP. Now Reagan tried, before [James] Baker and his boys advised him on how to behave. Now, I loved the man, but if you look at his record and rhetoric, they are two different things. But Ron Paul had made it legitimate again for small government, maximum individual liberty, Goldwater Republicans to come forth and complain about big government, and I am the recipient of lots of those complaints.
AND:
reason: I noticed that “he or she” in your previous statement. Have you made any headway with your Republican friends on the matter of, well, they might believe in this whole “war on terror” and trust Bush needs these extraconstitutional powers to protect us, but what about when a president they don’t trust wants to use them for goals they don’t believe in?
Napolitano: Bill O’Reilly defended Bush on his declaration of three Americans as enemy combatants, before the Supreme Court told him he can’t do it—and Bush refused to even say why—but Bill said “I trust him, it’s good for him to do that.”
I asked him, “Would you give that power to Hillary Clinton? She could declare you an enemy combatant and dispatch you to Guantanamo.” He just said, “Would you come and visit?” I said, “No….they’d keep me down there too!”
So many of my Fox colleagues, whom I love working with, have such trust and faith in the heart and head of President Bush. But look at the calendar: He’ll be Mr. Bush in 14 months, and unless it’s Ron Paul, God knows what his successor will do with the powers Congress had purported to give him. And I say “purported” because they don’t have the right to actually do all the extraconstitutional things they’ve done.
Excerpt:
reason: Yet it happened. You called your book A Nation of Sheep, which indicates a pretty low opinion of the people who would let their elected representatives do this to them. But Bush’s approval ratings are pretty low—it seems as if there is something about his administration that’s begun to piss people off. You must have a lot of opportunity to hear from the public with your status as a big public voice on these issues—how upset are Americans about all this?
Napolitano: There is more widespread feeling [against these assaults on our liberty] than you would think, though I have discovered that widespread feeling after coming up with the title of the book! One place I’ve discovered a lot of it I didn’t expect…I speak to lots of right to life groups; I describe myself as “fiercely pro-life,” and I’ve found among right to life groups tremendous disdain with the president and the Congress about abuse of the Constitution, much to my surprise. If while talking about Roe v. Wade I make a comment about Bush and Congress tampering with the Constitution, I’m interrupted with a standing ovation at right to life gatherings, so there is this undercurrent of anger [over the Bush-era assaults on the Constitution].
Another platform for that undercurrent is the campaign of Ron Paul. Congressman Paul has rejuvenated almost single-handedly the Goldwater wing of the GOP. Now Reagan tried, before [James] Baker and his boys advised him on how to behave. Now, I loved the man, but if you look at his record and rhetoric, they are two different things. But Ron Paul had made it legitimate again for small government, maximum individual liberty, Goldwater Republicans to come forth and complain about big government, and I am the recipient of lots of those complaints.
AND:
reason: I noticed that “he or she” in your previous statement. Have you made any headway with your Republican friends on the matter of, well, they might believe in this whole “war on terror” and trust Bush needs these extraconstitutional powers to protect us, but what about when a president they don’t trust wants to use them for goals they don’t believe in?
Napolitano: Bill O’Reilly defended Bush on his declaration of three Americans as enemy combatants, before the Supreme Court told him he can’t do it—and Bush refused to even say why—but Bill said “I trust him, it’s good for him to do that.”
I asked him, “Would you give that power to Hillary Clinton? She could declare you an enemy combatant and dispatch you to Guantanamo.” He just said, “Would you come and visit?” I said, “No….they’d keep me down there too!”
So many of my Fox colleagues, whom I love working with, have such trust and faith in the heart and head of President Bush. But look at the calendar: He’ll be Mr. Bush in 14 months, and unless it’s Ron Paul, God knows what his successor will do with the powers Congress had purported to give him. And I say “purported” because they don’t have the right to actually do all the extraconstitutional things they’ve done.