Political Roundup

In response to a comment that I have been avoiding politics, here's a quick catch-up.
The Democrats are on a high right now, and the Republicans are on the run. Democrats can pretty much block anything they want to in the Senate. This is mostly traceable to Bush's weakness, which is traceable to Iraq - more precisely his loss of credibility. Because his reasons for invading Iraq - WMD and terrorist links - are no longer believed by most people, and his assurances that things would improve in Iraq have yet to appear even remote likely, the majority of Americans don't trust him. Add to this Tom DeLay's troubles. So now the Democrats have an easier time attributing Republican policies to nefarious motives. Social Security privatization? - just a Wall Street plot to make money off your retirment. Drilling in ANWR? - just an oil company plot to rape the environment. Wiretapping - isn't that what everyone was screaming about that we needed more of after 9/11? - maybe - but maybe you are just spying on Americans for...well, for whatever!

The next victim could be Judge Alito. The press has not been shy about joining the fray. Alito Urged Wiretap Immunity blares the WaPo headline, but what he wrote was a little different.

"I do not question that the attorney general should have this immunity, but for tactical reasons I would not raise the issue here," Alito wrote in the June 12, 1984, memo to his boss, U.S. Solicitor General Rex Lee. "Absolute immunity arguments are difficult to advance successfully" so "there is a need to choose our cases in this area with particular care."

Which doesn't sound quite so unequivocal as the headline. And several news outlets are highlighting yet another memo where Alito argued against Roe two decades ago. This constant pecking away by the mainstream press, coupled with the loss of credibility of Bush, the Republican leadership, and their backers could embolden Democrats to take a hard line against the nominee.