How many Americans are talking to Al Quaeda anyway?

[beingthere]

Well if it were true as Bush says, domestic spying is very narrow and very focussed, and only on people talking to suspected terrorists, couldn't they diffuse the criticism by telling us how many people they've spied on. E.g., they could say "we've got our ear on thirty people who we know talk regularly to Al Quaeda - we are sure they are talking to terrorists and we just need to listen so we can arrest etc etc". Carry this analysis out a bit. Suppose they said "the first time we had to listen to these people, there wasn't time to go for the warrant, or we couldn't have pinpointed it, but there is not doubt FISA Court would approve, so we will now seek warrants to lay this to rest". In summary, it clearly it is NOT narrow, it is NOT focussed because if it were, they could get totally off the hook easily. (Not that they were right, but they would still be off the hook.) So, has anyone asked them to just disclose HOW MANY conversations, by HOW MANY people they've spied on?

[Olney Blue]

1. We'll have to wait for a whistleblower to tell us.

[Deja Q]

2. The coming collapse of America. It's not really about a tinpot manic org.

It's about anyone who doesn't have a 9 digit "salary".

I can't think of any other litmus test they'd apply.

[niceypoo]

3. Why arent they being arrested if they know who they are?

[Botany]

4. According to the few reports that millions of calls & electronic messages

were intercepted so I guess ..... DU, Quaker Peace Groups, The Kerry Campaign in Ohio,
Unions, Democratic Senators, the U.N., reporters, and academics were all in contact w/
al Qaeda like organizations.

[jab105]

5. If it were narrow and focused...then why the F*** didn't they get the

FISA court to approve the search warrants...
That is what is totally missing from the discussion with the press...there was a court set up just for this...and WHY?!?!?! The reason is because Nixon didn't have checks and balances...and look what happened and we wanted to make sure that it didn't happen again...

whoops!

[DesertRat]

6. Do they have phones in their caves?

:shrug:

[TalkingDog]

7. Why, I was on the phone with Al-Quaeda just yesterday.

I told them that terrorism is wrong and that Bush should not be allowed to terrorize people. We all agreed that President George W. Bush is evil and embodies much suckage.

But seriously. We all know that this is not about Al-Quaeda or terrorism. This is the Uber-Nixonian enemies list.

Hi Agent Mike! Porn Boobies Teen Lust Rumsfeld.

[murray hill farm]

9. That was sooooooooo funny, you

talking dog, you! Hahahahahahahaha!

[Shortyfuse]

8. only those on Google

Or AOL or MSN or.....

[PBass]

10. Small narrow group

Only those Americans using a telephone or a computer.

I am certain that Team Bush is spying on political rivals with this program. That is the only plausible reason they wouldn't want a paper trail at FISA. FISA keeps all this warrant information top-secret to begin with, so there was never a chance that getting the required warrant would reveal something to the enemy (unless Bush wants to claim that FISA has been infiltrated with "terr-ists" and spies).

[SOS]

11. AQ

stopped using electronic communication in 1998.
So the answer is "none".

[High Plains]

12. Not me. I put them on that "no call" list

I hate it when they call during supper time.