Let me get this straight. As republicans and conservatives, part of our principle set is the idea that big government, more government, is not the solution to the pressing social and economic ills we face. We distrust government solutions to problems. We don't like government on poverty, on the economy, for any serious issue and rightly so. But.....we do seem to like untrammeled, unfettered government power for things like warrantless surveillance? We republicans seem to trust government with this kind of power? The issue is two fold. The administration wants two things: they want a near effortless capability to initiate wiretaps without warrant and they want immunity for the private sector who's help is required in order to make that stuff happen, an immunity which allows them to protect their complicit telco partners particularly given that they have likely broken the law in pursuing wiretaps.Republican leadership and the President are frothing that Congress must pass what they want as though this government power is not subject to abuse, is somehow exempt from the issues that make big government a bad solution for so many others things. It shows clearly that republican leadership is bankrupt and devoid of true conservative principles.
