I spent Tuesday in the Senate talking to the people who could, if they so chose, pass legislation in response to the Edward Snowden contretemps. They could (as Mike Lee and Jeff Merkley want) use the opportunity to build support for more declassification of FISA documents. Or they could (as most Republicans want) batter Snowden like he’s the punk kid who graffiti’d their cars.
The key quote-monger in the story is Sen. Lindsey Graham, who firmly believes that “the world is the battlefield” in the great war on terror, and who is willing to go to some lengths to prosecute Snowden and Snowden-alikes. He wondered whether young “libertarian” types could be trusted to serve in classified positions when they proved that they weren’t keen on the strategy. I asked him whether Snowden’s donations to Ron Paul were the sort of warning signs vetters should have looked out for.
“No, no,” said Graham. “I think people that give donations to Ron Paul are exercising their right to participate in the political process. Ron Paul isn’t a threat to America. His policies are.”
