Most Americans oppose NSA database (and what Democrats can do about it)

According to a new USA Today/Gallup poll, 51 percent of Americans "disapprove of a massive Pentagon database containing the records of billions of phone calls made by ordinary citizens".

(Newsweek's Mark Hosenball and Evan Thomas have an excellent, must-read piece on the NSA here.)

The White House would rather discuss terrorism than Iraq or, well, pretty much anything else, and some Democrats might not want to engage Bush on terrorism, an issue he can dominate and where his fearmongering can overwhelm their opposition, but Democrats should not back down on this.

It's not just that a majority of Americans (at least according to this poll) oppose this NSA database and worry that the war on terror has gone too far domestically in infringing illegally upon their privacy, it's that Democrats need to be -- and to be perceived to be -- the party of national security, the party that can guide America through a difficult period of unconventional warfare at home and abroad, the party that effectively balances liberty and security, the party that keeps its eyes on the ball and doesn't lead the country recklessly into disastrous foreign entanglements, the party that is about more than just tough, divisive rhetoric and actually has a plan for success.

And Democrats can only do that if they engage Bush and the Republicans on the political field of terrorism and national security, if they challenge Bush's record, if they highlight the failures of Bush's presidency, if they refuse to back down and allow Bush to portray Democrats as the weaker party, the party that can't be trusted. Americans need to know that Democrats will defend them. They need to know that Democrats will wage an effective, aggressive war on terror both at home and abroad. They need to feel safe.

Bush will make the case that the NSA database, along with the NSA eavesdropping program generally, proves how tough he is. He will evoke, as he always does, 9/11. He will point to omnipresent terrorist bogeyman. He will try to terrify Americans with the rhetoric of mushroom clouds, of impending doom. He will wallow in the culture of fear. He will do what got him where he is today. And many, many will buy it.

But look at the record: the mess in Iraq, Osama still on the loose, the homeland still not secure. This is where Democrats need to turn. They need to point to the Dubai ports deal, to the response to Katrina, and, yes, to the NSA. Do Americans feel safer with Bush at the helm? Do they feel safer with Republicans controlling Congress? Do Americans want their government spying on them?

With the upcoming midterms so nationalized, Democrats should be able to hit Republicans hard on terrorism and national security. It won't be easy. Not with this White House. Not with the all-out desperation that is now driving the Republican leadership and seeping down into the rank-and-file. But Americans are waiting for Democrats to stand tall again, to show that they can indeed navigate the country through challenging times. This does not mean abandoning or otherwise devaluing more traditionally Democratic issues like health care, poverty, and the environment, but it does mean going after Republicans on what are, or what have been perceived to be, traditionally Republican issues.

With Iraq a mess, Osama still on the loose, and the homeland still not secure, Democrats can criticize Bush's leadership and offer an alternative to it. They can also tell Americans that they won't spy on them illegally. How does that sound?