The full quote is:

The Truong court, as did all the other courts to have decided the issue, held that the President did have inherent authority to conduct warrantless searches to obtain foreign intelligence information.26 It was incumbent upon the court, therefore, to determine the boundaries of that constitutional authority in the case before it. We take for granted that the President does have that authority and, assuming that is so, FISA could not encroach on the President’s constitutional power. The question before us is the reverse, does FISA amplify the President’s power by providing a mechanism that at least approaches a classic warrant and which therefore supports the government’s contention that FISA searches are constitutionally reasonable.

Democratic Talk Radio announced ties in both the heroes and villains categories of their annual awards foe 2005. Senator Russ Feingold and anti-war protester/Mom Cindy Sheehan tied for Heroes of the year. Texas Republican Congressman Tom Delay and Vice President Dick Cheney tied as Villains of the year according to Democratic Talk Radio hosts Stephen Crockett and Al Lawrence.

Senator Feingold was chosen for the key role he played in halting the Bush Administrations efforts to keep the worst abuses of the falsely-named Patriot Act in force. Feingold managed to protect American civil liberties almost single-handed in 2005.

Cindy Sheehan demonstrated the power of an individual citizen to change the course of public opinion and influence government policy armed only with truth and devotion to purpose. Sheehan exposed the insanity of Bush’s Iraq War policies. She is a great American and a citizen hero as clearly shown by the events of 2005!

Former Republican House Majority Leader Tom Delay was exposed in 2005 as the “kingpin of political corruption and abuse of public office.” Delay was instrumental in overturning traditional political processes by the seemingly illegal Texas Congressional Re-Districting Scheme that had given Republicans an apparent lock on the control of Congress. It was revealed that senior Bush appointees in the Justice Department overruled career lawyers who had found the Scheme illegal. Delay abused his office by using Homeland Security to track Democratic state legislators attempting to block his Scheme.

Tom Delay appears to be at the heart of the influence peddling, bribery and campaign money scandals that are swirling around the most powerful figures of the current Republican-dominated federal government in Congress and the White House. The ties between the Jack Abramoff operations and Tom Delay are vast and close. The entire operation has started to expose a real culture of corruption in the leadership circles of the Republican Party. Delay is the most highly visible government official connected to most of the most disgusting examples of government corruption and abuse of power in the history of the nation.

Vice President Dick Cheney became known as the driving force behind the illegal NSA wiretapping operation of American citizens by the Bush Administration. Cheney looks to be deeply involved in the illegal outing of the secret CIA agent Valerie Palme for partisan political reasons along with his Chief of Staff Scooter Libby. Cheney was exposed in 2005 for the deceptive PR campaign to falsely tie Saddam Hussein to the 9-11 terrorist attacks and WMD’s that did not exist.

Cheney seems to be pushing the Bush White House into claiming all types of near dictatorial powers and seemingly illegal behaviors. Democratic Talk Radio believes that the activities of Cheney as revealed in 2005 will lead to impeachment hearings for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney in 2006.
Democratic Talk Radio can be reached by email at: midsouthcm@aol.com , by mail at: P.O. Box 283, Earleville, Maryland 21919. The Democratic Talk Radio website is http://www.DemocraticTalkRadio.com .

The generation of American leaders who fought the American Revolution and crafted the United States Constitution examined the most important issues of government. They considered (1) war and peace, (2 ) the limits to government power vs. individual liberties, (3) how officeholders should be controlled by the citizenry and (4) the raising and management of public money. That generation devised impeachment to remove tyrants and corrupt officeholders from positions of public power based on their experience under the government of King George. Under the present circumstances, it is likely that they would vote to impeach and remove from office George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.

Bush deserves to be known as Liar-in Chief because he has not been honest with the American public on the most important issues of public policy for the past 5 years of his government. It is amazing that Republicans in Congress were willing to impeach President Bill Clinton over lying about an essentially personal issue over his sex life but are defenders of Bush when he is dishonest on the most important issues of government and public policy.

Bush and Cheney were dishonest with the American voters when they pushed the American nation into the invasion and occupation of Iraq. They did not share the full information collected by our intelligence agencies on WMD’s with all the members of Congress or the voters. Cheney and Bush dishonestly tied Saddam Hussein with the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the United States to justify their unjustifiable war policy.

The Bush Administration intentionally mislead the American public over the use of the excessive government powers granted the federal government by the falsely-named Patriot Act. They claimed that these powers would only be used to fight terrorism. It has mostly been used for matters unrelated to terrorism. It has almost never been used to fight terrorism.

Bush falsely stated that wiretaps under his government were only being conducted under authorization of the federal courts. This was false. Bush violated the law by not getting court authorization for his wiretapping of American citizens. This has not been done since the government of Richard Nixon. Nixon was driven from office based in large part because of this behavior. Bush broke the law passed in the aftermath of Watergate to prevent this kind of governmental abuse of power. Carter and Clinton permitted wiretaps of a handful of foreigners who were agents of foreign governments. Bush wiretapped thousands of American citizens without proven connections to terrorism.

Bush and Cheney has repeatedly lied to the American taxpayers over the impact of their program of excessive tax breaks to the Super Wealthy who have financed their political machine. During the 2000 Presidential Election, they promised tax breaks for the wealthy only because our government was in surplus because of the wise management of President Clinton. They stated that they would not support tax cuts if the government budget was in deficit. This was false. They promised a balanced budget but gave use the largest budget deficits in history. They have spent money in the most reckless manner of any American government in history with huge amounts going to their political supporters with much accountability or plan to pay the bills.

These issues are certainly not the only issues of public policy were the Bush Administration has not been fully honest. Campaign finance, voting machines, media concentration, oil policy, disaster relief, environmental issues, judicial appointments and most other important issues have been things that were spun by the Bush Administration without little regard for being fully truthful with the American citizens.

Our Founding Fathers would not have approved of Bush concerning his honesty or his abuse of the powers of his office. They would have exercised their power of impeachment to remove both Bush and Cheney from office if they were serving in Congress today. Current members of Congress should act the same.

Written by Stephen Crockett and Al Lawrence (hosts of Democratic Talk Radio http://www.DemocraticTalkRadio.com ). Mail: P.O. Box 283, Earleville, Maryland 21919. Email: midsouthcm@aol.com .

Feel free to publish without charge or prior notice.

Ok, so I made that last part up. It felt good to do it though. USA! USA! USA!

Comment by I-RIGHT-I

I-Shite-I #69 and other republiscum inbreds),

Creating reality since the fraudulent (and breached) “Contract with America”…

IMPEACH!

Frankly, there is ZERO infringement concern monitoring radiation levels wherever they may be, precisely because it can be done without intrusion of any kind. We monitor ships entering ports using roving Geiger meters.

Oh, I think there is an infringement concern on the part of the Muslims in this country. They will be screaming bloody murder over this as they always do when we single them out and hurt their feeeeeelings.

It is a little short sighted though to think that only Muslims would be interested. Probably the most likely of suspects would be islamic radicals, but certainly not the only.

And your point is???? We should monitor the homes of little old white ladies in your neighborhood so it doesn’t look like we are racially and ethnically and religiously profiling, or because there’s actually one chance in a billion that old lady is Al Quada and we can’t take the chance of missing her?

One more thing, as WMD go, dirty bombs are pretty crappy, and unless it’s in a confined space, so are chem weapons.

You must live upwind.

What’s funny/ironic is that Bush the Lesser said Houssien was working on Bio-Weapon programs because he had Ricin. Now Ricin is a poison – very toxic – and can be made into a bioweapon – but it’s a lousy one, its essentially just an aerosolized toxin, not a germ-agent, and its effects are much more easily replicable by cheaper and more easily obtained chemical agents, so Bush was really misleading and overstating Houssiens intent. Unless Houssien’s government was profoundly stupid, they were not, in fact, using Ricin for Bioweapon activities, but rather using it for what it is best for, a highly lethal ingestion poison. Not that it’s a surprise that Bush would lie, the point is, when we talk about the excesses of this President, they include distortions, gross ommissions, and outright falsehoods, and yet, we’re told to TRUST HIM.

I think I’ll choose not to.

Comment by peeb

There’s nothing funny or ironic about ricin or that Bush considers it a WMD. I guess you can afford to second guess Islamoterrorist and give them credit for not being stupid or foolish but Bush can’t. If that’s your rationalization for Bush=Hitler Bush=Stupid or Bush=Liar then it’s off to the sharks with you at Club Gitmo with the rest of the losers.

The evidence the Filthy Left cites of Bush’s distortions, gross omissions, and outright falsehoods, are themselves distorted, omitting convenient facts and in many cases outright lies. I know who the Filthy Left is, I know what they’ve done, what they do and what is their aim. If that’s your horse then ride him, fine by me but in polite, rational American society you are considered beneath contempt. They dying cultures in Europe on the other hand probably love you. You can have them and they you.

Very well put, sgiff. If you have read my epic email (which is listed below as Mr. Ward) the answer would be clear. As for the answer of 68 # I-RIGHT-I: “Who, and in what country says we’re chickens?” All he need do is look in the mirror.

Now my email:

Mr. Ward,

My name is Armando Gomez, an ardent listener to your nightly radio spot. Right now I’m putting together this email for you as I’m listening to your program, and I may have the answer to the confusing question why Americans are voting against their own self interests. And the basic answer is that their (White America) sense of history and self-worth has come into question. To them this is unacceptable—at any and all cost; which is what’s happening at this moment. Realistically, all this began to manifest when Ronald Reagan was elected as president. But in all honestly, I believe it really started with the Vietnam War and its shocking and unacceptable conclusion: we lost. And it wasn’t just the war we lost—we also lost our president, Richard Nixon. This sent a shock wave, border to border and coast to coast of White America. This proved that the war was a phony and President Nixon a liar. This forced Americans to question the very core of their moral foundation and their sense of purpose—their purpose of self-righteous, which they believe is their destiny and guided by the Light from above. All this imploded when Nixon tanked. But within a couple of years a new and up coming Right Wing movement (the neo-conservatives) went to work, scoring one victory after another in their religious sectors, in their communities. And I believe all this was spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation. The Foundation’s tactics: Accuse the liberals of anti-family, anti-God, anti-America, anti-mother, anti-marriage, anti-fetus and in short: anti-liberal all around. With the help of the “liberal” media they made the word liberal an expletive (remember the “L” word?). And all this was funded by the multi-right wing millionaires and corporations. And I believe you know who and what they are. What this movement accomplishes was to exonerate America of its failures, and blame “The Fall” on the dirty, rotten, and back-stabbing liberals. And these Americans went for it, hook, line, and sinker. They had no choice: To accept otherwise, they would have to question their entire “white” history. Without this history—or myth—they will have to accept a more realistic one—according to Ward Churchill. White Americans found that to be totally unacceptable. And for these Americans they are ready to accept any politician, any judge, and any president—any lie—that’ll tell them what they want to hear, especially when Jesus Christ is now considered as part of their American history. That’s why they are more than ready to believe such phonies as Reagan, the first Bush, and this latest disgrace, Bush, Jr. But with the present Americans, it gets worse: they are willing to sacrifice their children’s and their grandchildren’s future, just so they can either be swept up by the Rapture in time or die in their sleep; the complete misery of others had become their sinful and foremost pleasure. Mr. Ward, to me these are the worst and the most rotten cowards any nation unfortunately is straddled with; stinking vermin who aren’t fit to be scurrying about. Their malicious intentions toward Social Security, Medicare, pensions, childcare, the Iraq War and the support for the bankruptcy bill are but short examples of how far these Americans have sunk. The talk I hear is that these Americans are the dumbest pile of rocks on the planet. Wrong: It’s worse. Sept. 11 and the Iraq War only provide further excuses for these self-proclaimed “patriots” to stab their fellow neighbors in the back by trying to dismantle our civil rights—and are the first to turn against our war heroes like John McCain and Max Cleland in a second; a knife behind the door. To them, this further justifies the degradation to our veterans, the hacking away at their medical and financial benefits while allowing fantastic tax breaks go to the rich and corporate America who wouldn’t lift a finger to help our veterans or our nation. So, for these pro-veteran and pro-morality Americans to believe in this new White Direction, provided by the ultra-extreme Republicans, it all proves that they have gone soft between the ears and soft between the legs. In short, STARK, RAVING PSYHOCITICS, not stupid. It’s important to understand this. This is the very core why they can’t or won’t be reached. For any animal can be “educated” —even a flatworm. And that is the answer why these Americans are voting against their own self-interest as they are steering yours, mine, and theirs—and our country—into the toilet.

Armando Gomez
April 23, 2005 12: 50 am

Rule of law should always trump the whims of any officeholder. Our Founding Fathers would have been outraged over Bush’s actions and claims of executive powers!

Looks like the “debunk” was debunked quite easily.

A question for you, who is currently President?

Another question, who has both houses of Congress and 7 of 9 Supreme court justices coming from their party?

The point is, focus, what Clinton may or may not have failed in hardly excuses an attempt to say that wartime gives the President unlimited authority.

Much has been written behind the scenes by these yuckel-heads that the power of the Executive has been inappropriately limited since Nixon. Is it really a shock to you that they would seek to grab power when the opportunity arose? Alito wrote about this need to reinfoce the Executive when he was a law clerk.

Given that, the protestations, including yours, regarding Clinton’s excesses ring hollow. You didn’t want him exceeding his authority then, but condemn him after the fact for doing FAR more than you felt he should. Unfortunately, you don’t get to eat your cake and have it too. Clinton had been President less than 6 months when WTC happened, just how much authority do you think Congress would give him?

The thing is, Clinton’s not President, we need to address this situation, a President claiming he had authority when at the time his own AG argued for MORE authority to do exactly this, and was shot down by Congress (he should have gone to SCOTUS anyway), but then Bush has the audacity to come before the US populace and claim he had it all along. He no more believes that (or ought not given what Congress told him then), than I do.

Peeb

Frankly, there is ZERO infringement concern monitoring radiation levels wherever they may be, precisely because it can be done without intrusion of any kind. We monitor ships entering ports using roving Geiger meters.

It is a little short sighted though to think that only Muslims would be interested. Probably the most likely of suspects would be islamic radicals, but certainly not the only.

One more thing, as WMD go, dirty bombs are pretty crappy, and unless it’s in a confined space, so are chem weapons.

What’s funny/ironic is that Bush the Lesser said Houssien was working on Bio-Weapon programs because he had Ricin. Now Ricin is a poison – very toxic – and can be made into a bioweapon – but it’s a lousy one, its essentially just an aerosolized toxin, not a germ-agent, and its effects are much more easily replicable by cheaper and more easily obtained chemical agents, so Bush was really misleading and overstating Houssiens intent. Unless Houssien’s government was profoundly stupid, they were not, in fact, using Ricin for Bioweapon activities, but rather using it for what it is best for, a highly lethal ingestion poison. Not that it’s a surprise that Bush would lie, the point is, when we talk about the excesses of this President, they include distortions, gross ommissions, and outright falsehoods, and yet, we’re told to TRUST HIM.

I think I’ll choose not to.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. officials have secretly monitored radiation levels at Muslim sites, including mosques and private homes, since September 11, 2001 as part of a top secret program searching for nuclear bombs, U.S. News and World Report said on Friday.
The news magazine said in its online edition that the far-reaching program covered more than a hundred sites in the Washington, D.C., area and at least five other cities.

“In numerous cases, the monitoring required investigators to go on to the property under surveillance, although no search warrants or court orders were ever obtained, according to those with knowledge of the program,” the magazine said.

The report comes a week after revelations that the Bush administration had authorized eavesdropping on people in the United States. U.S. President George W. Bush has defended that covert program and vowed to continue the practice, saying it was vital to protect the country.

Senior U.S. officials, including FBI Director Robert Mueller, have repeatedly said Islamic militants appeared intent on acquiring weapons of mass destruction for an attack against the United States.

Mueller said in February he was “very concerned with the growing body of sensitive reporting that continues to show al Qaeda’s clear intention to obtain and ultimately use some form of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-energy explosives material in its attacks against America.”

An FBI spokesman declined to confirm or deny the U.S. News and World Report article and said, “We can’t talk about a classified program but we can talk about the US News reporter who broke the story. In fact we’re going to torture him until he tells us who it was that leaked the story and then we’re going to hang that son-of-bitch.”

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2005-12-23T195408Z_01_FOR371616_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-USA-SURVEILLANCE.xml&rpc=22

Ok, so I made that last part up. It felt good to do it though. USA! USA! USA!

Hear, hear.

When did Americans become such chickens?

Comment by afterthought

Who, and in what country says we’re chickens?