Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., announced today that President Bush has committed to sign proposed legislation authorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court to review the National Security Agency’s monitoring of international phone calls and e-mails, Associated Press reported. Such an independent review is needed to make sure the program is legal and the information gathered isn’t misused. But the agreement may not be as good as it sounds. It is conditional on the legislation not changing at all as it moves through Congress, and the bill’s language makes the FISA review optional rather than a requirement, according to an administration official. If so, Bush hasn’t really agreed to anything. Besides, as Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., noted, if Bush is OK with a court review, he can request one now, without any legislation. Leahy observed: “He’s saying, if you do every single thing I tell you to do, I’ll do what I should have done anyway.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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13 Comments
Why am I not surprised?
Bush telling Congress not to change anything, and the patsies agree. Why do we even need a Congress, let’s just aboulish that Branch of Govt. and have a Royal Coronation for King George!
Dear Editors–
How about a WEBlog post on whether the votes we cast on the electronic machines in Wichita even count?
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Files First Federal Suit Against Owner of Electronic Voting Machine Company
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3065
Attorney Papantonio on Mike Malloy Show: ‘We’re gonna shut down some of these companies’!Excoriates ‘Indolent Democrats’ and ‘Lazy Media’ for Not Taking Action; Lauds BRAD BLOG for Putting Issue on ‘Radar Screen’…The first of several federal whistleblower qui tam (fraud) suits have now been filed against one of America’s major electronic voting machine companies, The BRAD BLOG can now report.
Florida attorney Mike Papantonio who, along with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. hosts Ring of Fire, weekends on Air America Radio, was a guest on Mike Malloy’s radio program last night. [Complete audio is available at bottom of this article.] He discussed the upcoming whistleblower suits that he and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. are filing against several of the voting machine companies. Pap was loaded for bear.
During the interview, he gave several new details on the federal fraud suits now being filed, which include several whistleblower plaintiffs whose stories were originally reported here at The BRAD BLOG, as mentioned last week in a quick item here, with some fresh details of our own. Pap reported last night that the “dream team of lawyers” they’ve assembled to take on these evil, irresponsible, anti-American companies includes a bunch of those who took on the tobacco companies in a successful quarter billion dollar suit — so they’re not likely easily intimidated, we’d think.
I think its vital that any spying on US citizens needs to be approved by at lest 2 of the 3 branches of government and reviewed by the courts to make sure its constitutional. Remember, if its really that important than the other two can overrule the courts. (That whole checks and balances thing).
To digress a bit, that is why the NY Times published the articles about the phone tapping program and the bank monitoring programs. Its because no other branch of the government approved the programs and i support the NY Times 100% because of that. Any illegal programs running should be brought out in the open and have them fixed and legalized.
I call the whistle blowers patriots, not criminals. They are shedding light on an illegal act, not a confidential program.
Just because the government wrote the laws, doesn’t mean they can break them…
It wasn’t just the NYT. The LAT and WSJ also reported the international money-transfer monitoring.
On the latest developments in the Middle East, here is an intelligent course: Get the f**k out of there. Forget controlling oil. We’ve been using petroleum since 1860. That’s two human lifespans. It is predicted to run out in less than three human lifespans. America has incredible genius. We need to use it effectively.
u know what was funny, i remember one of the news hosts ( i think Fox ) were bitching about how liberal collage professors, Hollywood and mensa members were…
That made me think… Mensa members and collage professors are some of the smartest people on the planet. anyone else see this interesting?
Good ones, Tony and Hrtlndr.
Did anybody else see the idiotic op-ed article in today’s Smeagol, “Is America Losing Its Will to Fight?”
“Democracies are not constitutionally suited for international conflict . . . ” Yeah, it’d be so much easier if this were a dictatorship and Bush were the dictator.
The writer should go back to March 2003. Which reflected reality better? The tons and tons of WMD’s the Bush administration told us Saddam was ready to use against us, the constant linkage of Saddam and Al Qaeda, the orange alerts to red alerts to orange alerts.
Or Michael Moore’s movie “Farenheit 9-11″? Which says that Bush ignored the terrorist threat until after we were attacked, and then he used it as a pretext to do what he wanted to do from day one–attack and occupy Iraq.
Which one is more true in hindsight?
I’ll agree with the first statement that America is loosing its will to fight..
But the 2nd one? that’s nuts.
Yea and definitely in hind site Michael Moore’s movie is oh so right… I want to see the Righties try to argue that one.
I watched again last night. Everything he said proved to be dead on accurate.
You should watch it if you haven’t already.
Oh, wait, you’re agreeing with Moore . . . my mistake.
LOL,
I think i have it downloaded somewhere if anyone else wants to watch it…
I bought it, but I can’t watch it often. Either my blood pressure skyrockets or I cry.
The one thing I found with F9/11 is that it only skimmed the surface. I already knew pretty much everything he touched on in the movie, except for one thing. When did the families of fallen soldiers start getting phone calls to tell them of the deaths? THAT really p*ssed me off.
Greg Palast has some interesting stuff on his website concerning the Bush link to the Saudi Royals and the 2000 election garbage in Florida. But if you’re worried about BP, don’t watch. ;)
I asked the question the other day in opinion line, How many threats is the NYT getting from home grown Right Wing Terrorist? Looks like some, I cut this from an article, on the stock market decline, from yahoo : “Adding to negative sentiment, The New York Times said on Friday it was investigating an envelope received at the paper containing white powder, raising fears of a possible recurrence of anthrax-tainted letters sent to newsrooms in 2001.”