Bush might as well said , “I spy because I can”. He has no respect for the Constitution, the rule of law, civil liberties, or the American people (including Jake–deluded little Bushie that he is).

like atrios says, no wonder everyone hates congress (although he made the remark in relation to other circumstances, i.e. the war )

You offer an interesting take on this issue.

However, if the information you provide could be used to cover Bush’s actions, I do believe his administration would be pouncing on it at every opportunity and Tony Snow would be trotting it out any time a reporter challenged him with a question about warrantless wiretapping. Yet the administration hasn’t demonstrated this. I’ve archived quite a few quotes (and notated sources, mostly CNN.com) from administration officials regarding the warrantless wiretapping program; they mention nothing related to your data.

Plus, IF your data exonerates Bush, then it more than ever shows that he is more interested in playing the fear card than providing evidence, Congressional subpoenas or not, that the NSA’s actions are fully covered under law. Here’s why I say this:

George Bush:

He also said that the electronic monitoring was limited to people with “known al Qaeda ties and/or affiliates.” Any domestic calls, the president said, would go through the secretive FISA court.

and

“We know that a two-minute phone conversation between somebody linked to al Qaeda here and an operative overseas could lead directly to the loss of thousands of lives,” Bush said. “To save American lives, we must be able to act fast and to detect these conversations so we can prevent new attacks.”

Here’s the problem I’ve always had with this: if we have one terrorist operative in Los Angeles calling another one in Dallas to give the go-ahead for an attack…I believe this qualifies as a domestic call since it originates and ends in the U.S….Bush runs to the FISA court to get a warrant.

He’s not concerned about acting fast and preventing attacks in this situation. But he is when the conversation involves one person located outside the U.S.

Finally, this observation. The NSA reportedly went to the phone companies and requested calling records of tens of millions of Americans. One company they went to was Qwest. As you may recall, Qwest asked for a warrant and the government refused and simply walked away.

Now, if the NSA was truly interested in using these calling records in its efforts to track terrorists, don’t you think they’d produce the warrants, which should have been very easily obtained if indeed the wiretapping program was targeting a select group of people, as the administration has declared, namely that of known or suspected terrorists???

Comment by Frank J — June 21, 2007 @ 2:21 pm

[Bush] also said that the electronic monitoring was limited to people with “known al Qaeda ties and/or affiliates.” Any domestic calls, the president said, would go through the secretive FISA court.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/01/nsa.spying/index.html

Idiot.

Which actually means that Congress can declare war against Dick Cheney, invade him (per Keith Olbermann), and hunt him down like Saddam Hussein was hunted down, finally capturing the regenade Vice President in whatever hole he’s been hiding in, and bring him to justice. Ooops, maybe Gonzales shouldn’t hand over these documents to Cheney’s rogue “sovereign nation” office after all.

Can the “culture of corruption” neo-con Republicans possibly corrupt our culture any more than they’ve already done?

“Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
– Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

Bring the witnesses in to testify. WHEN, let me reply that, WHEN they lie and stonewall arrest them on the spot! Send them to prison until the end of the term of COngress. Fill the prison with the criminals of this administration. See how fast the GOP criminals start spilling the beans then.

Do you think our forefathers gave up thier freedoms when they were at war against the british? Do you think they had it any easier when they faced hanging for treason against king george? Too many people are just afraid and want someone to protect them from everything, even themselves. If only those people would remember that none of us have anything to fear except fear itself.

When did you Conservatives become such frightened, little, people? There are WORSE things in the world than dying, you know. And, living in a “Big Brother” Police State is one of them.

In 20 years (from Reagan to GWB) the GOP has lead us from being a nation that believed that is was better to “Live Free or Die” to becoming a sniveling group of frightened little sheeple bleeting “Save me, save me. Take away all of my rights, but, for the love of GOD, save me from the bad people.”

Grow up. Be a man.

Comment by spit take — June 21, 2007 @ 3:49 pm

You obviously don’t know your RNC ™ Trolls.