Bush on surveillance: "Actually the courts...the FISA court, said I did have the authority."

[DeepModem Mom]

WP: Bush: No Retreat on Spying
By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Friday, January 19, 2007

On Wednesday, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales wrote a letter to senators announcing that "any electronic surveillance that was occurring" as part of the administration's controversial warrantless eavesdropping program " will now be conducted subject to the approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court."

Many observers jumped to the conclusion that the administration had been forced into a major retreat in its battle to expand executive power....But over at the White House, President Bush, who was granting interviews to a handful of regional broadcasters, was telling another story altogether.

In a brief sit-down with Sabrina Fang of Tribune broadcasting, Bush had this to say:

"Actually the courts, yesterday, the FISA court, said I did have the authority. And that's important. And the reason it's important that they verify the legality of this program is it means it's going to extend, make it more likely to extend beyond my presidency. And this is a really important tool for future presidents to have. . . .

"I felt yesterday was a very important day for the Terrorist Surveillance Program. Nothing has changed in the program except for the court has said we analyzed it, it is a legitimate, it is a legitimate way to protect the country."

In other words, the only thing that's changed is that the Bush administration found one anonymous judge on the secret panel to say that what it was doing was legal all along....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100879.html

[Kagemusha]

1. Good for Froomkin.

And I'm not surprised here comes Bush to rectify all the joy or anger that emerged from his retreat from a political principle, when it was only a headfake to begin with. But, his base was getting angsty from that alone so, here's Bush to save the day and reassure them that he's stomping on the Constitution just as much as before, just with a little help.

[aquart]

2. Just keep saying, Democrats are going to read Republican mail.

Feed their terrors. (Be sure to use a long stick and a thick glove.)

[lligrd]

5. Perhaps We Should Let These Rights Stay

Then when we impeach Bush and Cheney watch the Repugs squirm while we remind them that Pelosi has the right to read all of their mail. First they came for...

[originalpckelly]

3. Yeah, and Saddam had WMD.

We were greeted as liberators.

There was no insurgency.

The insurgency was merely outside meddling.

The insurgency was outside meddling, which caused the Shi'a to attack back with death squads.

:eyes:

We believe you Mr. President, no really. I want to see the opinion of the FISC judge, because if that dumb ass actually approved of not having warrants for electronic surveillance, then she needs to be removed.

[Kagemusha]

4. It does sound like judicial activism to me.

Perhaps it is just what it sounds like. Hopefully (!) we will see for ourselves.

[mmonk]

6. Rightwing judges can be against the constiution and the

people of the US as well. The problem is when we let all these crimes go against us without challenge or allow the constitution to be torched.