Domestic Policy
Congress Denied Bush War Powers in U.S.
Well if President Bush isn’t in enough hot water already, he may have more to worry about now. Based on information from Congress and the Justice Department, President Bush was not given authority to perform warrant-less domestic spy activities.
According to former Senate majority leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.), Congress rejected the Bush Administration’s requested for war-making authority “in the United States” during negotiations shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
“Literally minutes before the Senate cast its vote, the administration sought to add the words ‘in the United States and’ after ‘appropriate force’ in the agreed-upon text…this last-minute change would have given the president broad authority to exercise expansive powers not just overseas - where we all understood he wanted authority to act - but right here in the United States, potentially against American citizens. I could see no justification for Congress to accede to this extraordinary request for additional authority. I refused.” — Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.)
In addition to Daschle’s statements today, the Justice Department submitted a letter to Congress stating that the October 2001 eavesdropping order by President Bush did not comply with the domestic prohibitions detailed in the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) which regulates domestic espionage activities and the Authorization for Use of Military Force (September 18, 2001).
Obviously, the actions presented by President Bush have upset many Americans. We have also seen protest by U.S. District Judge James Robertson, a member of the 11 secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court; resigning on Wednesday, December 21, 2005 due to concerns that the President’s warrant-less surveillance program was legally questionable and may have tainted the FISA court’s credibility.
Hopefully we will see a full congressional investigation initiated early next year. This will clear any allegations into the legality of the President’s actions. With all of the problems the President and Republican Party are experiencing right now, another congressional investigation is the last thing they need right now.
Daschle: Congress Denied Bush War Powers in U.S.
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This is definitely an interresting development to say the least. I feel that an investigation should occur on this issue irregardless of the circumstances, whether the President acted correctly or not I believe an investigation should occur, we need to better understand the situation and identify any flaws in this policy. We must protect our citizens while maintaining the ability to be protected. A delicate balance must be struck and it needs to be properly established. I look forward to hearing how others feel on this issue. There are many divided opinions.
You might clarify the following sentence to me, “We must protect our citizens while maintaining the ability to be protected.” I believe I might have an idea of what you mean, but this sounds as if there was something that needed to be protected other than our citizens.
I think a great example of the abuses our president executes are pretty well expressed in the recent headline story of the American college student in Massachusetts who was questioned by the NSA after he had requested Communist literature from his school’s Inter-Library Loan for a research report he was doing for a class. The boy was put on a “government watch list” and questioned upon his interest in Communism by two government officials who reportedly showed up at his families doorsteps. Think of the surprise you would get when a government official shows up at your door questioning you about terrorism after you had requested a monitored book. It’s incredible that we are now in a society where reading a book might be used as a link to terrorism.
Another example might be told about the anti-war protesters organized in Colorado Springs who, in 2002, were put under government watch and a counter-terrorism case was opened in their names after a tip the Nextel Corp gave the authorities of an activist website in the area. Reportedly the police assisted government officials to give the license plate numbers of persons participating in the protest.
Several stories can be told, these are just two that I’ve seen in the papers in the past week.
You bring up a good question, one many Americans are asking theirselves, “What exactly is needed to protect us and how far is the government going in performing this task?” I guess we are beginning to see how far the government is going to protect us, are they going to far? Some feel the steps they are taking recently are, others feel that in the now and present we must get used to giving up some of our liberties to enjoy safety and freedom. Your question is a good one Boog, depending on who you ask there are many possibilities. Myself, I go along with your ideals, I want protection but I also want my rights guaranteed under the constitution.