Bush either doesn't get it because he never studied high school civics, or, perhaps even scarier ,he gets it and just doesn't think it should apply to him. I agree it could be seen as a line in the sand moment. I suspect that moderate Republicans will try to blur the line and try to make it look like just some sort of misunderstanding. They will try to help Bush out of the jam, just like they essentially did with the torture thing after poor Condi was ieft hanging day after day before the entire world opinion, denying we torture when no one believed her. Their house of cards built of lies and hubris is crumbling. It is incredible to think of three more years of this.
What "kills" me is how alleged conservatives, who support the man, crack jokes about this. I've said more than once that Bush deserves to be impeached for gross incompetence, but that was only half serious... incompetence, to my knowledge, isn't an impeachable offense. I think how the nation was mislead regarding going to war with Iraq is an impeachable offense, but certainly open to question, at least until all the facts truly come out. This, however, is without question the act of an out of control President, who thinks he can trample the Constitution and our civil liberties at will. This is an impeachable offense, without question. You have to draw a line in the sand and protect our rights under the Constitution, and the foundation of the United States of America. George W. Bush should be impeached. He has crossed the line. Keep D&D Civil.
Impeachment is not a political reality. If the Democrats win both houses in 2006 (also not a political reality), W will get his lazy good for nothing *ss impeached. I think the Democrats have at best a 1 in 20 shot of winning both houses. I would settle for Rove taking a dive on the CIA leak case, which is a 50-50 proposition.
The guy admits it and says he would do it again. He seriously needs to be removed. If not by impeachment, then by out and out arrest. We have rule of law in this nation. We have a constitution that seperates powers. This is sickening.
I've noticed that all of the usual Bush apologists have stayed away from this one, which shows that this is a serious mistake in the Bush strategery.
i seriously cannot fathom this. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/17/AR2005121701233.html?sub=AR
I guess we can write off the DoJ bringing charges against W. Congress will have to force the issue by appointing a special prosecutor like in the CIA leak case. Since both houses of Congress are controlled by the Republicans, there would have be an all out and out mutiny before a special prosecutor is appointed. I found a discussion of the law in question here: Feingold's Response to President's Admissions Here is a fact sheet I received from Sen. Feingold's office on domestic intelligence wiretaps: The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was enacted in 1978 to provide a statutory framework for eavesdropping on individuals within the United States, including U.S. citizens, who are not suspected of having committed a crime but who are likely to be spies or members of terrorist organizations. FISA established a secret court that could issue wiretap orders if the government showed probable cause that the individual to be tapped is an "agent of a foreign power", meaning he or she is affiliated with a foreign government or terrorist organization. This is an easier standard to meet than the criminal wiretap standard, which requires that there be: (1) probable cause that the individual to be tapped has committed, is committing, or is about to commit a crime, and (2) probable cause that communications concerning that crime will be obtained through the electronic surveillance. In the 27 years since it was established, the FISA court has turned down only a handful of applications for wiretap orders. The number of approved FISA wiretap orders has jumped since September 11, 2001, with 1,754 FISA orders issued last year, up from 934 such orders in 2001. FISA already addresses emergency situations where there is not time to get pre-approval from the court. It includes an emergency exception that permits government agents to install a wiretap and start monitoring phone and email conversations immediately, as long as they then go to the FISA court and get a court order within 72 hours. FISA makes it a crime, punishable by up to five years in prison, to conduct electronic surveillance except as provided for by statute. The only defense is for law government agents engaged in official duties conducting "surveillance authorized by and conducted pursuant to a search warrant or court order." [50 U.S.C. § 1809]
Well here are some Quaker grandparent types that the Pentagon spied on. This could easily be some that Bush approved of.. ************* http://www.palmbeachpost.com/pbccentral/content/local_news/epaper/2005/12/15/m1a_patriot_1215.html
Well here is a college student was questioned by Federal Agents after he requested a copy of Mao's Little Red Book though the college library. Careful students, Big Brother GOP might be questioning you, too. I wonder if I could protect myself by by checking some Ann Coulter or Bill O'Reily books out so I could show that I am not a threat to national secuirty and have correct thinking. http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/12-05/12-17-05/a09lo650.htm
Man, Is this a perfect scenario for a documentary, start requesting communist stuff at your library etc, and see how long it takes for the feds to show up at your door. Then harrass them on camera, and build yourself a documentary about your experience. I agree, the Patriot act has to go.....too far to the right....got to get some moderation in there. DD
I was curious whether an emergency provision was present. This completely debunks the Bush Administration's assertions that permission was not requested due to the urgent nature of the cause. This time, the adage isn't in jest. Big Brother is watching.
If we are ever able to see the complete detail of individuals that were illegally spied on - I would not be surprised to see several political enemies on that list.
Sorry, I was in the can. These things are authorized when it is believed they are necessary to prevent immediate danger to Americans by potential terrorists. I, for one, don't want to see, just as an example, the city of Houston, blown to pieces and the excuse "we could have stopped them, but the court order was stalled in the system." If spying on the 9/11 hijackers before getting a court order could have prevented the attacks, you're damn right I would have been for it. I'll choose human lives over the letter of red tape any day.
Not I. Because the problem is that it effects our way of life, if our government is allowed to spy on it's citizens, then the terrorists have already won, they have influenced the way of life that we so desperatley cherish. Our country was founded on a set of checks and balances, and the patriot act ignores the most sacred premises of our constitution. The problem is not the tracking of terrorists or terrorist groups, but where does the line get drawn, and who decides where that line is??? These things are not authorized by the court system, which is the way our constitution is drawn up. Put it back into the hands of the court system, and let the FBI, the NSA, Homeland security, and local authorities start SHARING their information and doing a better job, but NOT spying on our countries citizens without any check for what they are doing. I for one, am not interested in revisiting the McCarthy era......certain inherent risks are involved in living in a free society, and our forefathers fought to protect those civil liberties, and we should do the same. DD
You can't arrange a wiretap or surveillance any faster than you can get an emergency sopoenae. This excuse will only work with the uninformed.
From what I could gather from the Sunday morning talking heads programs, it appears that W found justification for his actions in some broad resolution that passed the Senate. A resolution is not law. Methinks W took the *low* road when he knew that the FISA courts wold not support him on the *high* road.
