Conscience Part II: Time Is On Mike's Side

Ah, time. It’s such a magical thing. For example, it can turn a schleppy caterpillar into a lovely butterfly, or a tiny acorn into a majestic oak tree. It can also morph Mike Rogers from a hardline, no-questions-asked supporter of the USA Patriot Act (in 2001 AND 2005) into a civil-liberties-aware, Constitutional watchdog who is calling for an investigation into FBI tactics.

After reading Communications Guru’s thoughtful Sunday post on this topic, in which Mr. Rogers expressed his concern that “there may have been some abuses” in domestic intelligence gathering, I figured it would be fun to review some of Mr. Rogers' previous comments on the subject.

The retrospectoscope is all polished up -- let's go!

Mike Rogers has happily touted (or flaunted, pick a verb) his law enforcement expertise, particularly during the creation of the Patriot Act. From Rogers' own website:

In Congress, in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Mike’s expertise was sought out during development of the USA PATRIOT Act, which gives law enforcement the tools necessary for tracking terrorists with today’s technology. Mike’s expertise proved invaluable in understanding how wiretaps are obtained and used, the complex checks and balances that prevent abuse of wire taps, and why the rules based on 1970s technology were no longer applicable in the day of cell phones and the Internet.

From a NewsHour interview, when asked his opinion on renewing the Patriot Act:

REP. MIKE ROGERS: We are at war. This bill helps protect America and does not suspend the Constitution of the United States.

From USA Today, when questioned about potential infringement of civil liberties:

Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., a former FBI agent, dismissed the worries about civil liberties as "ridiculous" because "we are at war." He recalled using such tools in gang and child molestation investigations.

"All we do in the Patriot Act is say, 'Look, if we can go after child molesters sitting in the library and bombers who we need to sneak-and-peek on a warrant, we ought to be able to go after terrorists,'" he said.

Personally, I’m getting a little tired of the local papers giving Mr. Rogers a pass when he flip-flops this spectacularly.

Being in the minority helps Rogers develop a conscience

Mike Rogers has finally gained a conscience and gained the desire to try and place a check on the Bush Administration’s roll back of civil liberties, actually do some oversight and conduct an investigation of some of this administration’s wrong-doing. What’s the reason for the conversion of Bush’s biggest cheerleader? Simple. He’s in the minority.

The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus –long a supporter of Rogers - reports:
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, has been a strong supporter of the Patriot Act. However, he said a lack of clear guidelines may make it too easy for unwarranted views into private personal and business records.
Rogers said a congressional committee he sits on should look into possible FBI mismanagement of domestic intelligence-gathering methods. Rogers, a fourth-term representative, is a former FBI agent.
A recent U.S. Department of Justice report found weak internal control over "national security letters," a tool created by the Patriot Act in 2001 to ease the collection of information — like business and phone records — in national-security investigations.

Is this a new thing? Of course not, but since the committee is now controlled by Democrats there will finally be some oversight and accountability for a change. Where was Rogers for the last six years?

Although we know Rogers had no choice on what the committee looks at because he is a minority member, we can rest assured there will be no tough questions from him. Rogers remains a Bush cheerleader, although not quite as vocal, and we just need to take a look at his stance on U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Despite other Republicans asking for his resignation over the firings of Bush appointees who refused to illegally target Bush enemies, the controversy over renewal of the Patriot Act and a report last week that the FBI had underreported its use of national security letters to snoop on Americans, Rogers said Gonzales should stay.

Rogers, typically a strong supporter of the Bush administration, also said that the recent controversy over U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and the firing of several U.S. attorneys was not handled well. The administration has denied accusations that the attorneys were let go for political reasons.
"It was generally not well-done," Rogers said, but he refused to join a handful of Republicans who have called for Gonzales to resign. He said he'd rather let the situation play itself out.