Domestic Policy
President Bush On Spying: NSA Secret Wiretaps Have Disrupted Terrorists
Bush has advised his sidestepping of the FISA courts is simple,
“FISA is for long-term monitoring…What is needed in order to protect the American people is the ability to move quickly to detect….These calls are not intercepted within the country, they are from outside the country to in the country or vice versa. So in other words, if you’re calling from Houston to L.A., that call is not monitored. And if there was ever any need to monitor, there would be a process to do that…To save American lives we must be able to act fast and to detect these conversations so we can prevent new attacks…So consistent with U.S. law and the Constitution, I authorized the interception of international communications of people with known links to al Qaeda and related terrorist organizations…I’ve reauthorized this program more than 30 times since the September 11 attacks and I intend to do so for so long as the nation faces a continuing threat from an enemy that wants to kill American citizens… This authorization is a vital tool in our war against the terrorists. It is critical to saving American lives. The American people expect me to do everything in my power, under our laws and Constitution, to protect them and their civil liberties and that is exactly what I will continue to do as long as I am president of the United States …My personal opinion is, it was a shameful act for someone to disclose this very important program in a time of war.”
Bush said the program, which allows him flexibility to protect America, was narrowly constructed and has been used with strict adherence to U.S. law and the United States Constitution.
The program that provides the President this right is reviewed every 45 days, using fresh threat assessments, legal reviews by the Justice Department, consultations with White House counsel, and information from prior actions recorded under the program.
The president wanted to reassure the American people that the intelligence officials involved in the surveillance have received extensive training to make sure civil liberties are not violated during any approved activities.
The New York Times is considered to be the first to report on the National Security Agency eavesdrops, they offered information by quoting unnamed government officials.
The President may be wrong, he may have really underestimated the reaction to his perceived cavalier attitude, but going to jail, I just don’t think that will happen in this case no matter how much his detractors desire it.
Bush: Secret wiretaps have disrupted potential attacks
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4 comments for “President Bush On Spying: NSA Secret Wiretaps Have Disrupted Terrorists”
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The problem is, there’s a procedure he’s supposed to go through, and he hasn’t been. No wiretap has ever been refused under FIMA, yet he has chosen to do an end-run around FIMA, in violation of the laws from the 1970s (which I am old enough to remember being passed).
Why doesn’t he think he needs to follow the law?
Because he feels the Constitution is only a piece of paper.
I supported him in the war on Afghanistan and Iraq. I still think we don’t dare pull our troops out of Iraq until the country is stable. But I now seriously question this President’s judgement and commitment to America.
The “procedures” that Bush is “basically just not following” are the prescriptions of the FISA law, which made it illegal to spy on people in the US without obtaining a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. “Not following” a law is more commonly referred to as “breaking the law”. That’s why people are upset.
The administration may have a workable defense: they claim that the Congressional authorization to use force against Al Quaida empowers them to skip going to the FISC when surveiling suspected Al Quaida members. This claim can and must be tested by judicial review. If the courts decide it’s bogus, Bush will indeed have broken the FISA law by conducting warrantless searches.
Both of your points are well made, this is definitely a very convoluted issue. How do you balance giving up civil rights for perceived stronger protection? The words warrantless search will really make ACLU and civil right groups cringe. Both of your positions are well stated and appreciated.
While I do not support the premise the President used to justify the war in Iraq. I don’t think Congress’ intentions were to give Bush authority to disregard the law in the name of Homeland Security and the ‘War on Terror’.
Like I said in a previous post Americans need to be fully aware of the civil liberties the Bush Administration is infringing upon, because history has shown that we most likely will not get them back.