Proof? I don't need no stinkin' proof. I just want some high-profile Democrat to lay that charge out there and let the Bush Administration try to deny it.
Because once that charge is out there, and they have to start denying it, it will make some people start to think, "Hey, wait a minute. Could they really be doing that?" And it puts the argument where we want it -- abuse of power -- instead of where they want it, which is to pretend it's a regrettable but necessary step to keep our children from being blown to bits.
A false (or unprovable) charge can have the effect of immediately reframing an issue.
In fact, this is EXACTLY what the Rethuglicans do so effectively when they challenge the patriotism or the terror-fighting will of any Democrat who disagrees with them on how to fight the WOT. They know the charge is false. And they know the charge works politically.
The Rethuglican record is disgraceful when it comes to protecting the country from terrorist attack. Everything from chemical plants (up to 12 million people could be killed by an attack on one of New Jersey's chlorine plants) to containers coming into our ports to air cargo is as unsecured as it was the day George W Bush stole office. More "terrorist targets" in Indiana than in New York, and the whole Homeland Security budget turned into one big patronage operation.
And yet, the Rethugs still lead Democrats in polls of which party would better fight the WOT.
There's a story about LBJ in an early campaign. Seems he wasn't doing all that well and so he told his campaign manager to charge that his opponent had sex with barnyard animals. "But that's not true," the guy objected. "I don't give a damn," retorted LBJ. "I want to see him go out there and try to deny it."
Why do you think it's always Republicans like Joe Lieberman who complain about the Democrats' partisanship or the liberals' anger? It's because they know full well that righteous anger and hardball tactics make you look strong, while conciliatory bipartisanship toward people who are humiliating and slandering you on a daily basis makes you look like a fucking wimp. In a wartime situation, voters want their leaders to be bullies, not kind, decent people.
"You want to know how tough we'd be against terrorists? Well, just take a look at what we're doing to Republicans." THAT should be the Democrats' approach.