cpan starting right now-about Bush domestic spying

[rodeodance]

[cornermouse]

1. Sorry.

[rodeodance]

6. about what

[cornermouse]

12. a dupe

[rodeodance]

15. me or you--I have not checked.

[cornermouse]

21. Me. I deleted.

:)

[rodeodance]

30. oh ok--btw--hello

[rodeodance]

31. 'we are tearing our own country down while we set up democracries in

other countries"--says a caller in. Good for him!

[rodeodance]

32. Congressional reporters for what is going on on the HIll coming up.

[Lasher]

34. Ha ha, another fascist called in to say we should disolve Congress!

Also said we've come a long way with terrorism. Duh, there's more worldwide terror attacks now than there were before.

[rodeodance]

2. talking of new WaPost story front page (about Bush televised speech

from yesterday)

[rodeodance]

4. a caller in said only those who have something to hide will oppose dom-

esttic spying by the gov.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

5. Yea, the Freeper call, I heard that.

[Walt Starr]

17. I wish I could call

and say, "the line used by despots, tyrants, and dictators throughout history is the one about only people with something to hide need to worry about the government violating the law."

[rodeodance]

27. go for it.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

3. Thanks for the heads up

[rodeodance]

7. caller in saying said FBI report said majority of persons where NOT

connected to terrorits in any form.

[rodeodance]

8. another caller--she is so sick of all the abuse Jr has to take from people

te he.

[rodeodance]

9. someone talking about his experience in working with telecommunications

and how the FBI might tap into it. Interesting.

[rodeodance]

10. he also talks of how this took place for 4 years (and during our election)

[rodeodance]

11. supporter of spying saying--this is about they are out to kill us.

[rodeodance]

13. now reading lead article from NYTimes--saying Bush lashed out at both

Dems and Repugs who opposed the PA also yesterday.

[radfringe]

19. bet they won't read these snippets

In Address, Bush Says He Ordered Domestic Spying
By DAVID E. SANGER
Published: December 18, 2005

---snip---

As recently as Friday, when he was interviewed by Jim Lehrer of PBS, Mr. Bush refused to confirm the report the previous evening in The New York Times that in 2002 he authorized the spying operation by the security agency, which is usually barred from intercepting domestic communications. While not denying the report, he called it "speculation" and said he did not "talk about ongoing intelligence operations."

But as the clamor over the revelation rose and Vice President Dick Cheney and Andrew H. Card Jr., the White House chief of staff, went to Capitol Hill on Friday to answer charges that the program was an illegal assumption of presidential powers, even in a time of war, Mr. Bush and his senior aides decided to abandon that approach.

"There was an interest in saying more about it, but everyone recognized its highly classified nature," one senior administration official said, speaking on background because, he said, the White House wanted the president to be the only voice on the issue. "This is directly taking on the critics. The Democrats are now in the position of supporting our efforts to protect Americans, or defend positions that could weaken our nation's security."


----snip---

In his statement on Saturday, Mr. Bush did not address the main question directed at him by some members of Congress on Friday: why he felt it necessary to circumvent the system established under current law, which allows the president to seek emergency warrants, in secret, from the court that oversees intelligence operations. His critics said that under that law, the administration could have obtained the same information.

----snip----

Mr. Bush said that every 45 days the program was reviewed, based on "a fresh intelligence assessment of terrorist threats to the continuity of our government and the threat of catastrophic damage to our homeland."

"I have reauthorized this program more than 30 times since the Sept. 11 attacks, and I intend to do so for as long as our nation faces a continuing threat from Al Qaeda and related groups," Mr. Bush said. He said Congressional leaders had been repeatedly briefed on the program, and that intelligence officials "receive extensive training to ensure they perform their duties consistent with the letter and intent of the authorization."

[Freedom_from_Chains]

14. Yes, and of course those who don't vote Republican

[radfringe]

16. let me know when they start spinning/re-framing the issue

that it's all the NY Times fault for publishing the story, and how NY Times are traitors, committed treason, hates our freedoms and Christmas

[rodeodance]

18. also lead editorial in NTTimes--"this may be monitoried"--opposing

domestic spying.

[rodeodance]

20. editorial says should have warrant (as even warrents are lax).

[rodeodance]

22. calling in saying Sen. Specter will hold hearings about the spying. and

also Sanunu was upset about it.

[rodeodance]

23. Here is the WaPost that they are referring to.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/17/AR2005121700456_pf.html

President Acknowledges Approving Secretive Eavesdropping
Bush Also Urges Congress to Extend Patriot Act

By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 18, 2005; A01

President Bush said yesterday that he secretly ordered the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans with suspected ties to terrorists because it was "critical to saving American lives" and "consistent with U.S. law and the Constitution."

[rodeodance]

24. they took a bit of break to talk of Iraqi elections but back to spying now

[rodeodance]

25. another caller in saying she does not care.

[rodeodance]

26. this 'I do not care" attitude is dangerous. I am always amazed when

someone says this (not only about this issue).

[rodeodance]

28. somone saying that our budget for spying this year is 44 billion. who

if that is true.

[rodeodance]

29. another tidbit: Senate has bill today which includes drilling in Anwar!--I

thought that was going to be dropped!!

[Squatch]

36. Stevens (AK) tacked it onto the defense bugdet bill

[Skidmore]

33. Hi, rodeo. I found myself wondering if that caller wasn't our own

matcom.

[Lasher]

35. Freeper just called in to say the economy is booming...

and everything's going swell in Iraq.