Editorial Round Up: Bush's Chronic Pattern of Misleading the American People

Editorial boards across the country have a number of questions about President Bush's secret NSA program to create the largest database "ever assembled in the world" to collect the phone records of "tens of millions of Americans." [USA Today, 5/11/06] While the Bush Administration initially assured Americans that the NSA was focused only on international calls, this is clearly not the case. Unfortunately, this is not the first time this Administration has said one thing and the American people have found out later that they've done another. Editorial boards argue that the American people deserve to know why the Bush White House misled Americans and is monitoring tens of millions of their domestic phone calls.

Ventura County Star (CA): What Else Is The Bush Administration Not Telling Us? "What else is the Bush administration not telling us? It turns out that since shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, the National Security Agency has been secretly amassing the calling information of tens of millions of subscribers to three major phone companies, according to USA Today. ... In December, it was disclosed that President Bush, invoking emergency powers that it's not clear he has, had authorized the NSA to eavesdrop on calls and e-mails between people in the United States and overseas without obtaining warrants under the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act, as the law requires. At the time, the White House indicated the eavesdropping was confined to communications in which one party was suspected of having terrorist connections. Now we know that the eavesdropping was much, much broader. What else is the Bush administration not telling us?" [Ventura County Star, Editorial, 5/12/06]

Appleton Post Crescent (WI): What Other Operations Are Out There? "'We're not mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans,' President Bush said Thursday. Then how to explain the USA Today report that the National Security Agency has been secretly collecting records of Americans' phone calls since late 2001? At the least, it's another disturbing revelation that adds a dimension to the disturbance many Americans have felt since it was revealed that Bush authorized the NSA to conduct a domestic eavesdropping program as part of the war on terror. ... In all, it's another previously secret operation come to light that raises questions about the federal government's protection of Americans' privacy rights as it also tries to protect America from terrorism. And it raises questions about what other operations might be out there that we don't know about yet." [Appleton Post Crescent (WI), Editorial, 5/12/06]

Los Angeles Times: The Bush Administration's Explanations No Longer "Operative." "Until now, the Bush administration's defense of its warrantless eavesdropping program has centered on two assertions: first, that the program targets only international phone conversations and e-mails; and second, that it involves a relatively small number of Americans linked to foreign terrorists. Now it appears that this program is a vast dragnet that ensnares the innocent as well as the (possibly) guilty. The administration's explanations are no longer operative, to use a phrase its agents will understand. ... Of course, the administration can be expected to argue that almost anything is permitted under its expansive notions of the president's powers in the war on terrorism -- and, at the same time, that this president has always exercised those powers judiciously. ... In other words: Trust us. But by now no one in (or out of) Congress should have any faith in the administration's assurances about either its actions or its intentions under this program. As another president once observed: Trust, but verify. Congress needs to fill in the blanks." [Los Angeles Times, Editorial, 5/12/06]

Chicago Tribune: Bush Administration Needs To Provide More Information On The Program. "This sounds like a vast and unchecked intrusion on privacy. President Bush's assurance Thursday that the privacy of Americans was being 'fiercely protected' was not at all convincing. We need to know more about this. The government, though, didn't offer confirmation or elaboration on Thursday. Based on the newspaper's reporting, this effort appears to go far beyond any surveillance effort that would be targeted at terrorist operations. ... Yes, we're flying blind. Why would the government seek and store records of every telephone call to your doctor, your lawyer, your next door neighbor? Tell us." [Chicago Tribune, Editorial, 5/12/06]

Boston Globe: Congress Must Investigate And Provide Legal Framework For NSA's Phone Records Program. "President Bush has tried to justify the warrantless tapping of Americans' phone calls by saying that the government only listened to calls with Al Qaeda suspects overseas. Now it turns out that the government is collecting records on untold numbers of domestic calls, for no clear purpose other than to detect patterns. ... The newly disclosed practice, however, does include the telephone records of ordinary Americans. Congress, which has so far acquiesced in skirting FISA, should now force the administration to explain this data-mining. If Congress decides it is worthwhile, it must establish a legal framework for it." [Boston Globe, Editorial, 5/12/06]

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Congress Must Seriously Examine Bush's Secret Program. "In something far different from a 'don't-know-what-you're-talking-about' denial, spokesmen for the phone companies said Thursday they were protecting customers' privacy but also had an obligation to assist government agencies. Actually, many Americans would expect private firms to refuse to turn over such data without a warrant or subpoena, and to inform their customers about what's going on at every stage. ... Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said he would call the phone companies to appear before that panel in pursuit of what had transpired. 'We're really flying blind on the subject and that's not a good way to approach the Fourth Amendment and the constitutional issues involving privacy,' Sen. Specter said. Good. These revelations of an ever-widening circle of domestic information gathering raise obvious concerns. Some serious questioning is in order -- in the light of day." [Las Vegas Review-Journal, Editorial, 5/12/0]