Democrats Scramble to Expand Eavesdropping?

Question

Democrats Scramble to Expand Eavesdropping

In another unbelievable story; the headline is really all you need here. This is the New York Times: "Democrats Scrambling to Expand Eavesdropping." Yes, you heard right. "Under pressure from President Bush, Democrat leaders in Congress are scrambling to pass legislation this week to expand the government's electronic wiretapping powers." Dingy Harry, "in a statement Monday night, said, 'We hope our Republican counterparts will work together with us to fix the problem, rather than try again to gain partisan political advantage at the expense of our national security.'" What an absolute hoot! We hope our Republican counterparts will work together with us, the Democrats, to fix the problem? There wasn't a problem until you guys came along and tried to dismantle it! Then to accuse the Republicans of gaining partisan political advantage at the expense of our national security? Ha!

Dingy Harry, if you read the whole story here, is blaming Republican in Name Only Republicans "for endangering American citizens by threatening to investigate President Bush and eavesdropping on suspected terrorists"! The chutzpah! They have spent two years trying to nail Bush on this. Now all of a sudden, they're blaming Republicans for it. I'm telling you, these clowns have done all they can to eliminate the power inherent in the presidency during Bush's term. Now they're hastening to restore it in time -- and guess why? Herself: Hillary Clinton. The terrorist surveillance program is now about 50% as powerful as it used to be, and besides, the headbangers now know what we're doing. The whole exposure of this in the New York Times blew the program sky high. The program's been compromised. Thank you, Pinch Sulzberger -- who, of course, doesn't bring his liberal ideology to his newspaper like Rupert Murdoch does.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/01/washington/01nsa.html

Answer 1

So, when Bush breaks the law with his warrantless wiretapping, that's OK with people?

But when Congress expresses a willingness to change the laws so that less of Bush's activities are illegal, they get attacked?

Politics has just crossed the line into theatre of the absurd.

Answer 2

FISA always required court approval -- a secret court, with closed proceedings where the target of the investigation was never notified of the investigation or the warrant. And apparently most people don't realize that the laws already allowed the govt to initiate a wiretap, and then apply for a warrant up to 72 hours AFTER the tap starts. This just clarifies ambiguities in the statute over how certain entirely foreign calls are classified when they are routed through hardware inside the US. But I'll wait to see the final bill proposal before forming a further opinion on the possible ramifications.

Answer 3

They don't want to be blamed for a terrorist attack.

By the way according to the most famous FISA judge, President Bush did nothing wrong. President Bush has "Wartime Powers".

CLINTON AUTHORIZED NO WARRANT SEARCHES
Clinton Executive Order in 1995:
"the Attorney General is authorized to approve physical searches, without a court order"
http://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/displayEO.cfm?id=EO_12949_

Answer 4

I heard these exact same words today on the EIB~

Yea~ Now they want to fix what they broke and then take credit for it~The defeatocrats are a joke~

Answer 5

Wait, which is it? Does the "liberal" NY have credibility, or doesn't it? You can't pick and choose what's credible and what is not.

Answer 6

I think reed is shaking in his boots. FBI is comming for him too.

Answer 7

And your surprised?