Somebody’s gotta do it.
By on Jan 13th, 2006 at 1:56 pm
Somebody’s gotta do it.
Chris Matthews says illegally spying on Americans is “maybe … part of the job” of the president of the United States.
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… and what about the supposed US ideologies of personal freedom, democracy, and all that?
Quick. Someone had better rewrite US history books. We’ve become a fascist state!
January 13th, 2006 at 1:59 pmSo, you get the job of President and the first thing you do is take an oath to support and defend the Constitution, and Matthews suggests that maybe the only way you could do that job is to ignore the Constitution.
Well, I guess this would fit in with the thinking that we defied the UN and invaded Iraq to make the point that the UN should not be defied.
Where do we get these people? What kind of logic are they using?
January 13th, 2006 at 2:03 pmChris is turning into quite an apologist for this administration. They have compromising pics on you, Chris? Doing any other fundraising for Republicans lately, Chris?
January 13th, 2006 at 2:07 pmWell, maybe if the press were doing “part of their job” by actually reporting what was going on and not giving BushCo a free ride, we wouldn’t have gotten this far into the Bush Misadministration to be talking about this now.
January 13th, 2006 at 2:09 pmChris Mathews has lost all credibility. We need to do a progressive sit-out and watch his ratings fall. I bet half of his viewers are progressives that are ‘just hoping’ for some kind of honesty.
January 13th, 2006 at 2:12 pmStop watching Hardball. If there is anything good on it you can find it at C & L
Disagree? Why not send Chris an e-mail? In fact, why not fill up his inbox?
hardball@msnbc.com
January 13th, 2006 at 2:14 pmAccording to the US Constitution the President has the executive power to carry out laws passed by the Congress, as well as serve as the commander of the military forces in time of war. He has NO constitutional authority to act on his own, no constitutional “executive privelege.”
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. –That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed . . .”
January 13th, 2006 at 2:20 pmI stopped watching Hardball months ago. Matthews is a liar, a fraud and he personifies what’s wrong with our democracy. Chris Matthews is part of the problem.
January 13th, 2006 at 2:20 pmThe quote, of course, was from the Declaration of Independence.
January 13th, 2006 at 2:21 pmMatthews was named “Misinformer of the Year” by Media Matters. He took the title from defending champion Bill O’Lielly. I used to like this guy but not anymore.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200512230005
January 13th, 2006 at 2:22 pmTweety, what part of illegal are you not getting?
January 13th, 2006 at 2:23 pmChris is like alot of Americans, fear makes us cowards.
January 13th, 2006 at 2:30 pmI have only now realized, how fearless our founding fathers were.
Does Matthews realize that, as a pundit, Bush has been spying on him for quite some time? You better believe he does because the administration has got the goods on everybody in the media and can crack that personal information like a whip. Warrantless wiretapping becoming clearer?
January 13th, 2006 at 2:41 pmI could hardly believe my own ears for a few seconds when that was on Hardball — but then I realized what a sack of hot air Mtthews has become. The guy can get indignant over some topics, but when it comes to Bushie, he’s #1 fan.
January 13th, 2006 at 2:44 pm#12, your comment about the founders might be the understatement of 2006, and there is still a lot of time left!
January 13th, 2006 at 2:46 pmwarrantless domestic spying has been going on in the united states since at least the late 1940’s and it’s high time everybody woke up to that fact… yes, the bush administration has perhaps been the most egregious offender which is tough shit for bush and the republicans but let’s be really, really real here… domestic spying ain’t new and it ain’t all the repubs that have done it… we would like to think there are black hats and white hats but, sadly or gladly, depending on your point of view, that simply isn’t how the world works… our government has been wearing either a very black hat (the current administration) or a very dark shade of gray for years… every once in a while, the fog clears just enough to reveal the lay of the land (watergate and nixon, bush I and iran/contra, etc.) but, make no mistake, your (my) government has been deep into our shit for very nearly as long as i’ve been alive and probably much longer… that said, let’s band together, fercryinoutloud, put a stop to it, toss the criminals out and try and make our country into what it could be cuz i’m damn sick and tired of how it IS…
And, yes, I DO take it personally
January 13th, 2006 at 2:48 pmIf anyone else has read the transcript, did you notice probably the dumbest statement imaginable… Matthews suggested that in the days following 9/11 the NSA should have been screening phone calls for “WTC” and “Pentagon” and monitored those calls…
I guess someone forgot to chlorinate the gene pool…
January 13th, 2006 at 2:48 pmThe Dems must be careful on this one. They (GOP cowards) will envoke the mushroom cloud (Iran) and the fear of attack. They must counter by attacking “Americans do not cower in fear, and Americans certainly do not sell their rights to terrorists”.
January 13th, 2006 at 2:50 pmnot watching chris slimball is ‘part of MY job’…he has lost his friggin mind.
January 13th, 2006 at 3:02 pmBefore all is said and done Chris’ll have us all thinking pedophilia is a rite of passage in the Catholic church…
January 13th, 2006 at 3:04 pmWhat I find funny is how these Repubs are going to claim how they are going to fix things. This after they are the ones who have benefitted from the loose morals that they have followed and basically got rid of the Ethics Committee that could have helped eliminate some of these problems. Now they want to carry the torch on cleaning house…what a joke.
January 13th, 2006 at 3:20 pm#21 – Actually, it will be easy for the GOP to ‘clean house’. All they have to do is say ‘Remember all the thinngs we have been doing since we took out our Contract on America? Well, all that is un-ethical’ and then they’ll clean house!
well, then they’ll have to actually let go of the gavel once they lose majority control. That’s probably going to be the hardest thing they have to swallow, other than the calumny and disingenious arguments that have come out of the current administration. Once America wakes up to the truth about the current slate of neo-cons, they’ll be looking for a job elsewhere.
January 13th, 2006 at 3:52 pmWe should all ‘clean house’ and throw out our teevees. We did, and our ‘quality of life’ went up, in my estimation.
January 13th, 2006 at 4:07 pmIt occurred to me that eavesdropping on anti war or environmental
groups, without a warrant, or FISA court approval, as has been reportedly done by the Bush NSA …….
could very easily lead to a President Hillary Clinton (08) authorizing a similar campaign to snoop on the NRA or the Heritage Foundation……or other right wing groups……..
I wonder if they’ve considered that……….or are they so arrogant that they can’t imagine that.
Lenny Laks
January 13th, 2006 at 4:26 pmMendocino, CA
Republicans have been illegally spying on americans since the Bush election. It should be no surprise from these lawless criminal rightwing republicans. All reason and rational thought has left the building when it comes to the conservative movement.
Remaining of story here:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011306Z.shtml
January 13th, 2006 at 4:52 pmOk, I am not trying to be difficult here, but I have a strong feeling that Chris was using a little reverse psychology here.
I watch Hardball every day, and Chris has a way of advocating the opposite of his own idea, or just asking the question when he’s undecided, to further the discussion.
January 13th, 2006 at 5:02 pmI’ve been mad at Matthews, since he compared Bush’s first 100 days to JFK, back in 2001. Since then I was hoping for a LHO, in Bush’s future, too. Just when you want a conspiracy theorist assassin, they’re out of stock!
January 13th, 2006 at 5:16 pmThanks Chris. I’ve been trying to tell people that for decades! Finally someone who sees things the way I do!
hugs
Fidel
January 13th, 2006 at 5:30 pmanother wtf moment from chris–what has happened?? is he still basking in the “glow of G.W’s ‘nobility’???he’s a goner–another example of the “liberal media”…that’s why there are blogs–to try to find some sanity…the msm is pretty lame…
January 13th, 2006 at 6:04 pmLike I said, I am not so sure that’s what Chris meant when he said that.
Listen to him lately. He has been one of the most vocal critics of the Bush admin I have seen.
Chris voted for Bush in 2000, but since then he has sounded like a customer who wants his money back.
He’s no Democrat, so expecting him to take all the left talking points is unrealistic.
But he sure does’nt sound like an apologist for the administration either.
January 13th, 2006 at 7:23 pmWhen Chris says maybe, he’s posing a question, not advocating a position.
January 13th, 2006 at 7:23 pm#30
January 13th, 2006 at 8:03 pm“…one the most vocal critics of the Bush admin I have seen.” What else do you watch? Barney? Hey, I know you’re just kidding and that anyone who used to tout Bush’s “nobility” was pulling all our legs from the get-go.
Given that Truthout is reporting that warrantless spying was ongoing prior to 9/11 (shredding that particular justification, as BushCo had marginalized terror-related projects before that particular date), I’d like to suggest a new counter-talkingpoint.
New talking point should be “Since Dick Cheney claimed that having the illegal wiretapping in place before 9/11 would have enabled the Administration to prevent 9/11, and now we learn that they ~did~ have it in place, is Mr. Cheney admitting that the Administration ~could have~ prevented 9/11 but ~didn’t~??”
January 13th, 2006 at 9:23 pm#23, The only thing we watch on TV in this household is CSI (on Spike) and the Daily Show. Otherwise, it’s the Jam Band station on Sirius. Kill your TV, there’s nothing on anyways.
January 13th, 2006 at 11:15 pmNew talking point should be “Since Dick Cheney claimed that having the illegal wiretapping in place before 9/11 would have enabled the Administration to prevent 9/11, and now we learn that they ~did~ have it in place, is Mr. Cheney admitting that the Administration ~could have~ prevented 9/11 but ~didn’t~??â€
Comment by GreyHawk — January 13, 2006 @ 9:23 pm
LOL, yupp thats Neo-kook logic. Twist Spin Squirm and never ever tell the truth.
January 14th, 2006 at 12:00 amWhats a TV?
January 14th, 2006 at 12:06 amOh. That thing I took the Tube out of and made into an Aquarium? Yes its a lovely scene now. Serene and Peaceful.
And it doesnt talk anymore. Computer has been relegated to garage, and I agree with others here.
Radio only when a Commercial comes on, change the Station.
When you hear a Bush speak, turn it off.
could very easily lead to a President Hillary Clinton (08) authorizing a similar campaign to snoop on the NRA or the Heritage Foundation……or other right wing groups……..
Comment by Lenny Laks #24
…these extremist, treasonous, fringe/hate groups SHOULD BE monitored (wiretapped), and their leadership/membership rounded up and rooted out…
They hate our multi-cultural diversity and democratic way of life…
In effect, THEY are the enemy…
January 14th, 2006 at 10:55 amProblem is that a lot of people, maybe even most people, agree with Matthews that spying on Americans is okay, and might be part of the job of president. In fact, congress agrees, and that is why they passed the FISA law.
This issue is NOT about Domestic Spying, even though lefties like me think that is why King George W should be impeached. The issue is this: When Congress passes a law, must the President obey it? And what if he doesn’t?
visit the Schapira blog at http://schapira.blogspot.com
“… and tell ‘em Big Mitch sent ya!”
January 14th, 2006 at 12:10 pmNY Times editorial, courtesy DailyKos:
Mr. Bush, however, seems to see no limit to his imperial presidency. First, he issued a constitutionally ludicrous “signing statement” on the McCain bill. The message: Whatever Congress intended the law to say, he intended to ignore it on the pretext the commander in chief is above the law. That twisted reasoning is what led to the legalized torture policies, not to mention the domestic spying program.
Then Mr. Bush went after the judiciary, scrapping the Levin-Graham bargain. [...]
Both of the offensive theories at work here – that a president’s intent in signing a bill trumps the intent of Congress in writing it, and that a president can claim power without restriction or supervision by the courts or Congress – are pet theories of Judge Samuel Alito, the man Mr. Bush chose to tilt the Supreme Court to the right.
The administration’s behavior shows how high and immediate the stakes are in the Alito nomination, and how urgent it is for Congress to curtail Mr. Bush’s expansion of power. Nothing in the national consensus to combat terrorism after 9/11 envisioned the unilateral rewriting of more than 200 years of tradition and law by one president embarked on an ideological crusade.
January 15th, 2006 at 12:03 amWORFEUS is “maybe” out on a loony limb again, defending MSM standby Chris Matthews.
January 15th, 2006 at 12:07 amThese wastes of perfectly good skin are stupit stupit stupit! As are all those who believe them. They had LOTS of warnings BEFORE 9/11, but just were too busy to read the stuff. No amount of “intel” would help these freaks! And if the “secret” is out, and “they” know what we have been doing to them, doesn’t that mean we need to stop spying and prying, on the “down-low”, cause the jig is up? They know it ALL!!! I think a new plan is in order. Oh wait, I forgot. Silly me. They don’t have any plans. That would just aid the terrorists. Can’t have that! Nope!
January 15th, 2006 at 10:44 amThe issue is this: When Congress passes a law, must the President obey it? And what if he doesn’t?
Comment by Mitch Schapira #39
Mitch,
From here on out, when congress passes resolutions giving special presidential powers they’ll have to spell it out to the umpteeth degree…
Ambiguous language – “all necessary force”- leaves too much wiggle room…
It all depends on what “is” is…
These sombiches don’t maintain a DOJ full of partisan lawyers for nothin’…
January 15th, 2006 at 1:08 pm