Bush Wants To Expand Spying Powers
Posted by Stephanie Taylor on September 19, 2007 at 01:53 PM
Today Bush said that a law that was hastily passed in August to temporarily give the government more power to spy overseas without warrants must be "made permanent and expanded."
Just last week, Bush's spymaster Mike McConnell admitted that he misled Congress when he claimed that this law helped U.S. authorities foil a major terror plot in Germany--a claim that is not true.
Even worse, it turns out that Congress was misled in the first place by the bogus threat of terrorist attacks. Raw Story reports:
Republicans and the Bush administration used a 'bogus' terror threat that raised specific fears of an attack on the Capitol to scare lawmakers into adopting a dramatic temporary expansion of the government's spy powers last month, a top intelligence committee Democrat said Wednesday.
Congress agreed to give President Bush and the nation's intelligence agencies extra authority to spy on Americans just hours before lawmakers left for a month-long recess in August. In the legislative session's final week, news emerged of an impending plot by foreign terrorists to attack the US Capitol, and Republicans pointed to the reports as justification to expand the administration's powers.
"That specific intelligence claim, it turned out, was bogus; the
intelligence agencies knew that," Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) said at a
forum on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act organized by the
Center for American Progress in Washington. However, lawmakers did not learn of the claim's unreliability until "the day" they approved the FISA expansion, she said.
Today, in another defeat for civil liberties, Senate Republicans also prevented the restoration of habeas corpus.
Comments (8) «
To make it short and sweet:
Tell the freakin Chimp to drop dead!
Is that blunt enough?
Bush is not mentally competent. This sociopath keeps having delusions of grandeur. He's also showing signs of paranoia and a mistaken belief in his own competency.
It's way past time to bring this lunatic up on a short leash and depose him!
IMPEACH BUSH/CHENEY!!!
I have a number of comments for our DUMB Dems. Wake
the #$#@! up. You gave bush MORE than he asked for on the Pariot ACt so you could go on Vacation, What happened...Now he want MORE. Wake up..You are playing polite with a thug, and getting beat up all the time. They are fillerbusting everything and even that your let they have it there way...Not like the OLD days..If you went like the old days EVERYONE including the press would be seeing and saying what's going on ..with your Politeness your lucky to get a sentance.
We are behine you, get some courage...P L E A S E your in power..Shut the gov down...They did..did it hurt them? the were looked at as STRONG ..Again....WAKE UP.
the old days...in case you didn't know was the person usually a Congressman who didn't want something to come for a vote, whould be forced to talk non stop, all nite or day if necessary. but more important..EVERYONE whould see who's the obstructionist, or what party. and I'm sure the press whould pick it up.....
I am a football fan and this just seems like another Patriot Act.
I am a football fan and this just seems like another Patriot Act.
Hey i think that bush does need to relaize not many people like him as Prez. He needs to stop takeing power to advantage!
It's simple, impeach Bush and Cheney. Keeping bugging your representatives in the House and Senate to start impeachment proceedings against these two thugs. We need to take our government and prosecute Bush and Cheney for war crimes and other assorted offenses. Put these two behind bars in the Hague.
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