NSA flap makes you wonder why Patriot Act is necessary

On NBC’s "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Tim Russert asked Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan.: “Do you believe that the Constitution gives the president of the United States the authority to do anything he believes is necessary to protect the country?”
To which Roberts answered, “Yes, but I wouldn’t say ‘anything he believes.’ I think you go at it very, very carefully, and that’s been done by every president that I know of.”
But think about what Roberts is saying — the president has the authority to do anything. Really?
And as conservative pundit George Will said the same morning on ABC’s “This Week”: “Under this president’s sweeping assertion, not to say monarchical assertion, of executive powers . . . at least 24 provisions of the Patriot Act are superfluous. Why do they need that legislation?”
Posted by Rhonda Holman

5 Comments

  1. steve
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 8:56 am | Permalink

    Someone needs to tell Roberts that the congress is a co-equal body in our constitution, not subrogated to the Administration.

  2. ProudLib
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 9:16 am | Permalink

    They passed the “Patriot Act” for the sake of pretending to do something about terrorism.

    It allowed them to avoid doing the hard work that would really protect America: protecting ports and borders, ending support for the Zionist hegemon that is Israel, reducing dependance on Mid-East oil, and cutting ties with a feudal monarchy in Arabia.

  3. Darwin'sDisciple
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 2:04 pm | Permalink

    The ultra-liberal George Will expresses Rhonda’s sentiment in this WashPost Op-Ed piece:

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/15/AR2006021502003.html

  4. CrusaderX
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 5:33 pm | Permalink

    So what Pat Roberts is essentially saying is: Yes, the president can do what he wants to protect this country as long as he can discreetly avoid being held accountable by the Constitution, effectively subverting the rights of the American citizen and treading-underfoot the powers of the Judiciary & Legislature. Typical political reply: say something without saying anything substantive. Ya gotta Roberts credit though, he sure is one hell of a politician.

  5. steve
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 10:55 pm | Permalink

    Here’s how Bush is protecting America.By selling terminals at our sea ports to United Arab Emirates. Guess we can trust them to check those cargo containers.http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/394170/dubai_deal_on_ports_draws_fire/index.html?source=r_technology