Flip Flop? He's Playing One-Man Ping-Pong

So what's the latest position Senate Intelligence Chairman Pat Roberts has taken on the Prez's NSA spying? Have you been keeping up with his shifts? For all I know, he's changed again between the time I'm writing this and you're reading it.

Traditionally, Roberts has been firmly in the Bush-can-do-no-wrong camp. He never had a problem with the NSA spying on Americans, because if the Prez needed to do it, he must've needed to do it. For a brief moment, it appeared that other Republicans on the Intelligence Committee might maneuver him into actually having to oversee an investigation into the program, but with the help of a full-court press from the White House, he was able to bring the errant committee Republicans back in line and put off an inquiry.

But then on Friday he talked to The New York Times, telling them that perhaps the NSA did need oversight. There was a fair amount of criticism of his committee for ducking its responsibility, and apparently he caved. Even Roberts himself recognized the incongruity of the situation. "'I think it's the function and the oversight responsibility of the committee,' he said, adding, 'That might sound strange coming from me.'" Yes, it might. But all of a sudden, he seemed to be on the side of the angels.

But not so fast--after that interview hit the streets, Roberts's office put out word that the article may not have accurately conveyed the senator's position, that it "did not reflect 'the tenor and status' of the negotiations between Congress and the White House, as well as within Congress." He wasn't sure oversight was really that necessary, after all. I guess he caved again as soon as he got those administration calls that you know were clogging up his switchboard. Will he flip again? The spectacle of a coequal branch of government sitting on its hands (particularly if the Republican House actually does practice some oversight) will generate another volley of criticism from the other side. It's no secret that Roberts is personally standing in the way of senatorial action. If we're lucky, maybe he'll flip another couple of times before it's all over.