If wiretapping was so needed - why didn't bush and gonzales go to the congress for approval?

Question

Don't neocons get it? Three branches of government, balance of power.

I just don't think they get it.

Answer 1

Bush and Gonzales could have gotten all the wiretapping they wanted. With sprinkles and chocolate wisps.

FISA allows for wiretapping.
FISA allows for wiretapping IMMEDIATELY with no warrant for 72 hours.

However, FISA also requires judicial oversight


HORRORS!

The Bush Regime answers to no one.

Answer 2

There was always the option of getting the warrant three days after starting the operation. That had been used rarely in the past. This administration has carefully used executive privilege, a rubberstamp congress and seeded the judiciary and the DOJ with marginal incompetents, this may not have been intentional since it seems incompetent appointments have been made in every level of the administration, but its most dangerous at the top.
They don't get it, they don't care, they think if the FBI isn't at their doorstep it shouldn't matter. They are the sheep they accuse everyone else of being.
Yes we are in a war with an enemy different from our usual and customary bunch, but that's no reason to create an executive branch with no accountability to the legislative branch which is charged with its oversight.
Republicans are fond of talking about slippery slopes, but the don't recognize the ski jump when it comes to executive powers.

Answer 3

Greetings. there aren't three branches of government. all are simply controlled by the republicans, including the bought and paid for democrats there. Is no balance of power for the neocons to get. they control the government totally. as for the wire tapping. it was already a law, but to do it you needed some reason to suspect that a crime was being committed and bring your evidence to a judge who would give you a order or permission to tap a particular phone. what the government wanted was to establish a terror campaign here with everyone afraid to say anything because their phone might be tapped. Their neighbor might inform on them. their mail might be read. all basic tactics used by the communists and the Nazis in the past. nothing new. simply facism in the U.S. A. And our government is doing a good job of it. are you not afraid that what you say can be used against you, even though it was legal for you to say it?

Answer 4

What I don't get is that they could already wire tap anyone at any time and get the subpoena later... all they had to have was due cause and it was in the bag... so why did the "need" the extra power and lack of oversight? It seems like a power trip and a waste of time and energy to me... I mean.. phishing for terrorists over that massive of a data grid? The whole idea is mind bogglingly ignorant.

Answer 5

The did go.

FYI: Hillary voted for the Patriot act and also voted for it's renewal and she will have to use it much more than Bush did if elected.
We can only hope she confines the use to terrorists and not the political and media opposition.

Answer 6

Because they think they are ABOVE the law! Just like when Bush did not follow supboena orders to have the White House submit documents, and when he told his two counsels to not bother testitying even though they were SUBPOENAED!!

Answer 7

Congress passed the Patriot Act. The wiretapping provisions are within their. Congress did approve of warrantless wiretapping, what makes you think they didn't?

Answer 8

They get it. They just don't agree with you. FDR didn't go to Congress , in fact he went around Congress on purpose

Answer 9

Haha! It was in place way before Bush, what a sucker.

Hunter--the democrats did leak it to the terrorists.

Don C- I haven't learned that yet today.

Answer 10

The Democrat controlled congress is for this. They just passed it.

Start there and get back to me.