FISA Court to monitor domestic spying program

[Kerad]

Gee...what a novel concept.

The Justice Department, easing a Bush administration policy, said Wednesday it has decided to give an independent body authority to monitor the government’s controversial domestic spying program.

In a letter to the leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said this authority has been given to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and that it already has approved one request for monitoring the communications of a person believed to be linked to al-Qaida or an associated terror group.

“As a result of these orders, any electronic surveillance that was occurring as part of the Terrorist Surveillance Program will now be conducted subject to the approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court,” Gonzales wrote in the letter,

And now for the answer to the million dollar question:

Snow said he could not explain why those concerns could not have been addressed before the program was started.

Of course not.

If only someone could have thought of going through the FISA courts all along. Hmmmmm.....

 

[CableChick]

I thought this was in reference to Azzy and her hubby.

 

[forestal]

When he's forced, you can always count on the President to follow the law...

 

[Kerad]

When he's forced, you can always count on the President to follow the law...

Yep.
I'm sure this decision (and the timing of it) had nothing...absolutely nothing...to do with the fact that Alberto is scheduled to testify in front of a Congressional oversight committee tomorrow. Purely coincidental, no doubt.

Bushie seems to be changing certain attitudes, now that he's actually going to have to answer for his activities. A little congressional private time with Cheney isn't going to skate him through anymore. So sad.

 

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

Yep.
I'm sure this decision (and the timing of it) had nothing...absolutely nothing...to do with the fact that Alberto is scheduled to testify in front of a Congressional oversight committee tomorrow. Purely coincidental, no doubt.

Bushie seems to be changing certain attitudes, now that he's actually going to have to answer for his activities. A little congressional private time with Cheney isn't going to skate him through anymore. So sad.

Now, where's the terror alert?

I'm sure Mr. Bush and the DHS are thinking one up as we speak.

 

[PsyOps]

When he's forced, you can always count on the President to follow the law...

If Bush REALLY broke the law there would be charges. You anti-war peeps so conveniently want to ignore that Bush briefed members of Congress of everything he was doing.

Now everything Bush does in fighting this war has to go through some red-tape process to get approved. By then, whoever they are trying to monitor will have long since moved on. You lefties really know how to fight a war.

 

[Coventry17]

That's because he's spent billions of American dollars on an unjust war based on lies.

 

[Kerad]

If Bush REALLY broke the law there would be charges. You anti-war peeps so conveniently want to ignore that Bush briefed members of Congress of everything he was doing.

There still could be charges. The Republicans may have been happy to look the other way, but things are a bit different now. The Bushies desperately tried to get the 109th to retroactively legalize his domestic spying program in the final days. Now why, exactly, would you need to legalize something that is already legal? Why do you think he pulled this 180 on the matter? Because he is/was about to get his ass handed to him over it...that's why. Stupid oversight.

Sure, Congress was briefed...after he got busted.

Now everything Bush does in fighting this war has to go through some red-tape process to get approved. By then, whoever they are trying to monitor will have long since moved on. You lefties really know how to fight a war.

You obviously don't understand how FISA operates when it comes to warrants. As for running wars, Iraq is the current example of how "you righties" run wars. Nice job.

 

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

There still could be charges. The Republicans may have been happy to look the other way, but things are a bit different now. The Bushies desperately tried to get the 109th to retroactively legalize his domestic spying program in the final days. Now why, exactly, would you need to legalize something that is already legal? Why do you think he pulled this 180 on the matter? Because he is/was about to get his ass handed to him over it...that's why. Stupid oversight.

Sure, Congress was briefed...after he got busted.



You obviously don't understand how FISA operates when it comes to warrants. As for running wars, Iraq is the current example of how "you righties" run wars. Nice job.

If the NSA surveillance program were to considered an intelligence collection program, limiting congressional notification of the NSA program to the Gang of Eight, which some Members who were briefed about the program contend, would appear to be inconsistent with the law, which requires that the "congressional intelligence committees be kept fully and currently informed of all intelligence activities," other than those involving covert actions.

Translation: He told some Republican members of Congress during a scheduled recess so he could say he briefed Congress.

 

[SamSpade]

As for running wars, Iraq is the current example of how "you righties" run wars. Nice job.

You REALLY don't want to go there. I'm struggling to think of a first rate run war by the left in the last half century. I keep coming back to : Bay of Pigs - Vietnam - Iran hostage rescue - Gulf War - oh wait - that WAS done well, wasn't it? Who did that one?

 

[Kerad]

You REALLY don't want to go there. I'm struggling to think of a first rate run war by the left in the last half century. I keep coming back to : Bay of Pigs - Vietnam - Iran hostage rescue - Gulf War - oh wait - that WAS done well, wasn't it? Who did that one?

The Iran hostage rescue attempt was a war, in your book? Your interpretation of "war" is much broader than mine. Do you celebrate the Great Grenada War every October 25th? Not that it matters...

As for running wars, Iraq is the current example of how "you righties" run wars.

...still stands.

 

[SamSpade]

The Iran hostage rescue attempt was a war, in your book? Your interpretation of "war" is much broader than mine. Do you celebrate the Great Grenada War every October 25th? Not that it matters... ...still stands.

Ok, how about military operation, then? It's the only significant one from the Carter administration. Everywhere else along the line, he capitulated or responded with an ineffectual 'symbolic' reaction.

The Gulf War was fought by "righties" and opposed by lefties. They voted against it even more than the current war.

 

[PsyOps]

Translation: He told some Republican members of Congress during a scheduled recess so he could say he briefed Congress.

Ummm.... The "gang of eight" consists of the house and senate majority and minority leaders and ranking members of the congressional intelligence committee. It includes both Republican and Democrat members.

 

[PsyOps]

There still could be charges. The Republicans may have been happy to look the other way, but things are a bit different now. The Bushies desperately tried to get the 109th to retroactively legalize his domestic spying program in the final days. Now why, exactly, would you need to legalize something that is already legal? Why do you think he pulled this 180 on the matter? Because he is/was about to get his ass handed to him over it...that's why. Stupid oversight.

Sure, Congress was briefed...after he got busted.



You obviously don't understand how FISA operates when it comes to warrants. As for running wars, Iraq is the current example of how "you righties" run wars. Nice job.

And my question to you on this is, after the democrats backed this war in Afghanistan and Iraq and received briefings on the wiretapping deal and was silent about the legality of it, why are THEY doing a 180 on the matter? Change of heart or lack of resolve?

 

[Kerad]

Ok, how about military operation, then? It's the only significant one from the Carter administration. Everywhere else along the line, he capitulated or responded with an ineffectual 'symbolic' reaction.

The Gulf War was fought by "righties" and opposed by lefties. They voted against it even more than the current war.

I'm not ever going equate "President Carter" with "military mastermind" . That said, certainly you can't blame him for the events that resulted in the failure of Operation Eagle Claw or the abondoned operation Credible Sport. The only legitimate crticism Carter could draw on those is from people who think he shouldn't have authorized a rescue mission at all.

Not that this has anything to do with FISA.

 

[Kerad]

And my question to you on this is, after the democrats backed this war in Afghanistan and Iraq and received briefings on the wiretapping deal and was silent about the legality of it, why are THEY doing a 180 on the matter? Change of heart or lack of resolve?

Those that were briefed about Bush's domestic spying program were not allowed to talk about it. What they thought about the legality of it at the time is irrelevent...they weren't in a position to do/say anything about it.

 

[SamSpade]

Not that this has anything to do with FISA.

Not that making comments about "righties" doing a war does, either.

Just commenting that one of the significant wars in recent memory was a 'rightie' war, and it was executed very well. I'd have to say that Afghanistan was run brilliantly. Iraq, at least militarily was also run brilliantly - we are not still trying to capture the country or surround an opposing army - but we captured the nation in a matter of weeks when the naysayers said it would NEVER happen.

In contrast, lefties don't do wars well, the most significant ones being Vietnam and all our failed attempts at Cuba.

 

[Severa]

<img src="http://media.salemwebnetwork.com/TownHall/Car/b/20060519RZ2AP-TwinTowers.jpg">

Oh and just in case anyone blames Bush alone for starting the war in the first place:

Senate approves Iraq war resolution

From the link:

In a major victory for the White House, the Senate early Friday voted 77-23 to authorize President Bush to attack Iraq if Saddam Hussein refuses to give up weapons of mass destruction as required by U.N. resolutions.

Hours earlier, the House approved an identical resolution, 296-133.

 

[Kerad]

Not that making comments about "righties" doing a war does, either.

Just commenting that one of the significant wars in recent memory was a 'rightie' war, and it was executed very well. I'd have to say that Afghanistan was run brilliantly. Iraq, at least militarily was also run brilliantly - we are not still trying to capture the country or surround an opposing army - but we captured the nation in a matter of weeks when the naysayers said it would NEVER happen.

In contrast, lefties don't do wars well, the most significant ones being Vietnam and all our failed attempts at Cuba.

My "righties" comment was a direct reponse the "lefties" comment one of your buddies posted.

Enduring Freedom was run well, as far as it went. This brings us right into the current Iraq fiasco. Enduring Freedom never "finished". Bush was pulling our resources from Afghanistan so he could take out Saddam. Because of that, we never got Osama Bin Laden, nor did we inflict mortal damage to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. In fact...we're presently considering a troop "surge" into Afghanistan to deal with the resurgent Taliban.

I've got no complaints in regards to Desert Storm. That one was done the right way.

Finally....all "you righties" like to conveniently forget President Clinton when it comes to Operations Deliberate Force and Allied Force. Sure...technically they were NATO operations...but we all know who carries the weight when it comes to NATO.

 

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

Oh and just in case anyone blames Bush alone for starting the war in the first place:

Senate approves Iraq war resolution

From the link:

In a major victory for the White House, the Senate early Friday voted 77-23 to authorize President Bush to attack Iraq if Saddam Hussein refuses to give up weapons of mass destruction as required by U.N. resolutions.

Hours earlier, the House approved an identical resolution, 296-133.

Show me 5 solid and hardcore examples of where WMD were found after the war. And I don't want to see stuff about 20 year-old busted up missiles that "could" reach Israel.