Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Reagan's Att Gen Bruce Fein Bitchslaps Bush

WashTimes: "According to Bush, being pres in wartime means never having to concede co-equal branches of govt have a role when it comes to hidden encroachments on civil liberties. Bush presents a clear and present danger to the rule of law. He cannot be trusted to conduct the war against global terrorism w/ a decent respect for civil liberties and checks against exec abuses. Congress should swiftly enact a code that would require Bush to obtain legislative consent for every counterterrorism measure that would materially impair individual freedoms. Bush insisted in his radio address that the NSA targets only citizens "with known links to al Qaeda and related terrorist orgs. Before we intercept these communications, the govt must have info that establishes a clear link to these terrorist organizations." But there are no checks on NSA errors or abuses, the hallmark of a rule of law as opposed to a rule of men. Truth and accuracy are the 1st casualties of war. Bush assured the world Iraq possessed WMDs before the 2003 invasion. He was wrong. Bush acclaimed the secret surveillance as "crucial to our natl security." But if that were justified, why was Congress not asked for authorization in light of the legal cloud created by FISA and the legislative branch's sympathies shown in the Patriot Act and joint resolution for war? FISA requires crt approval for natl security wiretaps, and makes it a crime for a person to intentionally engage "in electronic surveillance under color of law, except as authorized by statute." Bush maintained that, "As a result of the NSA disclosure, our enemies have learned info they should not have, and the unauthorized disclosure of this effort damages our natl security and puts our citizens at risk." But if secrecy were pivotal to the NSA's surveillance, why is the pres continuing the eavesdropping? And why is he so carefree about risking the liberties of both the living and those yet to be born by flouting the Constitution's separation of powers and conflating constructive criticism with treason?"
Posted by Tina :: 12:13 AM :: 1 Comments:

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