Constitution in the shredder: No one could seriously believe that President Bush thought up the idea of trashing the Constitution and spying on U.S. citizens himself. This anti-democratic move has Cheney’s fingerprints all over it – but the only thing that would cause him to admit is his need to score political points against former Sen. Bob Graham:
Vice President Dick Cheney separately disclosed that he played a direct role in the controversial surveillance program.
In an interview to be broadcast tonight on ABC’s “Nightline,” Cheney denied charges by former Sen. Bob Graham, a Florida Democrat, that the White House did not disclose the scope of the secret program when administration officials briefed Graham, then head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, in 2002.
“He knew,” Cheney said.
“I sat in my office” with Lt. Gen. Michael V. Hayden, who was then head of the National Security Agency and is now deputy director of national intelligence, to brief Graham at the time, Cheney said.
He said the program was reviewed every 45 days by the president, the attorney general, the CIA director, the president’s legal counsel and the office of legal counsel in the Justice Department.
But key members of the Republican Party expressed doubts Sunday about the legality of Bush’s action. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he would conduct hearings on the monitoring of international phone calls, faxes and e-mails of as many as 500 U.S. citizens or residents since 2002, all done without warrants.
- Topic: News & Comment
- Topics: Scandals
John McCain said yesterday that even if W. was within constitutional limits under the “implied powers” concept, he’s got some ’splainin’ to do about why he didn’t formally ask Congress for permission first. He could have made the [tired] case, McCain said, that this is war time and thereby given Congress at least something to justify their rubber stamp. Instead, he chose to go it alone and just do what he wanted. Hmmm….does this sound familiar? Are we seeing a pattern here?
Hmmm….does this sound familiar? Are we seeing a pattern here?
Not really… most corrupr leaders have had corrupt governments/congresses backing them up. Seems like george used his executive power in collaborration with just his administration and bedfellows, rather than relying on a corrupt government as a whole.
I said in another comment… if Bush doesnt want to follow his own government’s laws, why should I? He’s the ultimate rolemodel of lawfullness, or should be.