The National ID Party

An editorial in the WSJ.

Aside from the privacy implications of this show-us-your-papers Sensenbrenner approach, and the fact that governors, state legislatures and motor vehicle departments have denounced the bill as expensive and burdensome, there's another reality: Even if the Real ID Act had been in place prior to 9/11, it's unlikely that the license provisions would have prevented the attacks.

That's because all of the hijackers entered the U.S. legally, which means they qualified for drivers licenses. The Real ID Act wouldn't change that. Moreover, you don't need a driver's license to fly. Other forms of identification--such as a passport--are acceptable and also were available to the hijackers. Nothing in the Sensenbrenner bill would change that, either.