Heather Wilson Caught in the Act

As most people know by now, Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM1) has being trying to create a false perception of herself as an "independent" and "moderate" as the 2006 election draws near. Despite being a consistent rubberstamp for Bush's radical neocon agenda, she's now trying to distance herself from the administration's failures and misdeeds in order to gain votes. In the process, she's talking out of both sides of her mouth on a variety of issues, including the NSA domestic spying program and the credibility of its creator, General Michael Haden.

One example of Heather's less than honest political calculations was her much hyped call for an "inquiry" into the secret NSA domestic surveillance program. Even though she serves on the House Intelligence Committee, she had raised no questions or concerns about the program previously. This move got her national headlines, even though it clearly was a coldly calculated bid for attention by someone who has gone along to get along with Bush and the gang.

Now, she's been caught in the act of deception with her strong support for Bush's nominee to head the CIA. General Michael Hayden was instrumental in creating the NSA domestic spying program about which Wilson supposedly has serious concerns, and he has consistently either denied or defended the eavesdropping as the Bush administration's point man on the issue.

Media Matters has an enlightening piece on what they call Wilson's "misleading assertions" about General Hayden's handling of questions on the illegal domestic surveillance program, which she made during a recent interview. Excerpt:

During an interview with Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) on the May 8 edition of PBS' The NewsHour, host Jim Lehrer failed to challenge Wilson's claim that Air Force Gen. Michael V. Hayden, President Bush's nominee to be CIA director, had been "very, very candid about the [Bush administration's warrantless domestic surveillance] program, its authorities, how it operates, and so forth." In fact, Hayden has defended the program with shifting and contradictory explanations and failed to answer questions regarding whether it has been used to spy on U.S. residents with no ties to terrorism. Moreover, in 2002 testimony, Hayden misled Congress about the existence of the warrantless eavesdropping program.

... Throughout the segment, Wilson extolled Hayden's abilities, calling him a "great leader," "a good leader of the people," and "a people-oriented leader." When questioned about his involvement in the Bush administration's warrantless domestic surveillance program, Wilson said: "[W]hen he was given the green light, Mike Hayden came up and was very, very candid about the program, its authorities, how it operates, and so forth. And in my book, he gets some credit for that."

As detailed in another piece by Media Matters, Hayden testified to Congress in 2002 that the National Security Agency complies with the requirements of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in its surveillance programs. He also denied the domestic spy program's existence.

When trying to make points with moderate voters, Wilson expresses grave concerns about the illegal spying that violates the FISA law. However, when push comes to shove and Bush and company want to install the creator and main defender of the spying as CIA Director, Heather spins and spins to justify another rubberstamp of the Bush agenda. Does this mean that she was against the program before she was for it? Inquiring minds want to know.

Meanwhile, Patricia Madrid, Wilson's Democratic challenger in the NM CD1 race, had this to say about Heather's flip flop on this issue and the nomination of Hayden to head the CIA:

After the intelligence failures that led to 9/11 and the intelligence failures that led us into the disastrous war in Iraq, we must have a strong CIA director who can restore the American people’s confidence in our intelligence system. Instead, George Bush has decided to nominate one of the very people who undermined the system in the first place. Meanwhile, Heather Wilson, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee and is in the position to ask the tough questions about Hayden and his role at NSA, is simply rubberstamping yet another flawed Bush decision. Heather Wilson and other leaders in Washington need to stand up for what is best for the country and say no to Gen. Hayden’s nomination. The CIA and the American people deserve a director who will move the agency forward.