Frist Threatens Restructure of Intelligence Committee To Block NSA Wiretap Hearings

Glenn Greenwald does some excellent reporting on Bill Frist’s attempts to prevent the Senate Intelligence Committee from investigating the NSA spying. Greenwald provides historical background in explaining that, “Due to the urgency of ensuring that our country has nonpartisan and non-politicized oversight over the Government’s intelligence activities, the Intelligence Committee is structured so that — unlike every other Senate Committee — the majority is unable to dominate the Committee’s operation and agenda, and the minority has much greater powers than it does on any other Senate Committee.”

On March 3 Harry Reid released letters regarding the obstruction from the Republicans in conducting this investigation. Bill Frist responded with threats to restructure the Intelligence Committee along partisan grounds, which would make it yet another committee to rubber stamp White House misconduct. “If we are unable to reach agreement” wrote Frist, “I believe we must consider other options to improve the Committee’s oversight capabilities, to include restructuring the Committee so that it is organized and operated like most Senate Committees.”

Democrats need to take control of Congress not necessarily over ideology, but simply to provide for the essential oversight of the Executive Branch which the Republicans have failed to provide and which the founding fathers wisely attempted to guarantee. This is a goal which true conservatives, as opposed to the Bush Worshippers, should understand. Conservatives, when out of power, often warned about the power of unchecked government. Now is a time for them to show whether they truly stand for principle or their own accumulation of power.