King George, Above the Law: I Won't Stop My Illegal Spying

Hands up if you're surprised at the story here.


DESPITE criticism from members of Congress, President George Bush says he will continue to authorise secret wiretaps of people suspected of involvement in terrorist activities, arguing that wiretaps have been "critical to saving American lives".

The New York Times disclosed last week that since the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, the Administration had authorised wiretaps of thousands of Americans by the National Security Agency without court orders . . .

Mr Bush acknowledged the wiretaps in a live radio broadcast, admitting he had personally authorised 30 such covert operations over the past four years. . .

Mr Bush lashed out at the informants who had leaked details of the wiretaps program to The New York Times, saying they had jeopardised activities that "protected Americans from terrorist attacks".

His admission came a day after the Senate failed to pass expiring provisions of the Patriot Act, the anti-terrorism laws passed after September 11, which Democrats and several Republicans said gave law enforcement and security agencies powers that threatened basic civil liberties.

Several senators said they had refused to support the expiring provisions because of the revelation that Mr Bush had authorised what they considered illegal wire taps. . . Arlen Specter, the chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, said the wiretapping seemed to be "inappropriate" and that his committee would hold hearings on the program soon to determine its scope and its legality.

Democrats reacted furiously to the Bush radio address, with Senator Russell Feingold saying it was "absurd that Bush was relying on his presidential powers to argue the wiretaps he authorised were legal. I tell you, he's President Bush, not King George Bush," he said. "This is not the system of government we have and that we fought for."

Mr Bush's radio address came just 24 hours before a scheduled televised address to the nation in which he is expected to outline the political challenges for Iraq after last week's historic elections. . . the success of the elections has been overshadowed by the controversy over the Administration's secret wiretapping program."


Sometimes I think Bubble Boy's stupidity is more breathtaking than his arrogance, and sometimes I think his arrogance is more breathtaking than his stupidity. Today, it's the latter.

Tomorrow? Who knows?





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Via Agitprop, watch this from Bateman.
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.impeachment
Bush
spying
NSA
Rumsfeld