Democratic Leaders who refuse to call Bush on his crimes

[Walt Starr]

were obviously spied on and Bush has the goods on them. They are being blackmailed.

With secret warrantless investigations performed by the adminsitration, what else can we believe?

[marylanddem]

1. I hope you're wrong, but

in any case it is time for every one of them - Dem, Republican - to show his/her true colors right now. It would be a shame
if Arlen Spector is the only one standing up for our civil liberties. Never before has the doctrine of being a "country of laws, not men" been so spat upon.

[RagingInMiami]

2. You're probably right

I wonder what they have to hide?

[tecelote]

3. Right on.

America has been hijacked.

It's our patriotic duty to win her back.

[Old and In the Way]

4. Gotta agree......

And more than a few Republicans are also held in check, too.

[converted_democrat]

5. I find that totally plausiable.....

I also think the reason they went around the law, in regard to the spying, was because they knew the people they wanted to spy on were not engaged in terror activities. They knew they did not have the justification to do what they did, or they would have done it legally to begin with.

[Jade Fox]

6. Naw, their just spineless......

even if they were being spied on, that's not their problem.

[Al-CIAda]

7. What else can we believe?

Other choices-

-They have been bought off, bribed, and complicit?

-They are merely a false opposition, controlled dissent?

-They are so insulated and out of touch as to be completely oblivious

-They have been hopelessly contaminated by the matter-of-fact corruption that they do not notice the horror that this country has become?

-They are beholdent to their corporate masters and do their bidding as opposed to the peoples'?


----

[ROakes1019]

8. Bushgate.

This is seeming more and more like Watergate. Wasn't the original crime Nixon attempted to coverup spying on the Democratic National Committee offices? Why would Bush not seek FISA approval for his spying? Maybe because the party he wanted to spy on had nothing to do with terrorism?

[in_cog_ni_to]

9. That's exactly what's been going on! IMCPO

These illegal searches were used to gather garbage on Congress members. Otherwise, he would have gone through the courts and Congress. THIS IS HUGE.

[Gold Metal Flake]

10. The FISA process is a fast track to surveillance, yet it was ignored.

So, you have reason to believe someone is in cahoots with terrorist and you want to tap their phone, but you DON'T go to the FISA court? Why not? Well...

Evidence gathered on a suspect via FISA warrant may not be admissible in a US court of law. It's because the FISA court uses a lower burden of proof to issue surveillance warrants than a US court. Now, if you spy illegally, how in hell will you ever hope to use the evidence in a criminal proceeding?

Well, you can't use it, of course. But you can forward it to the CIA to use in snatching up the suspect for a little R&R in a Jordanian or Eastern European torture gulag. And you can gather intel on your rivals and enemies unchecked.

Remember how they hacked the Democrat's computers in Congress? They got caught. Nothing happened to them, but just the same they pushed their spy plan underground.

Yes, I'm willing to bet that all sorts of people in congress, the Judicial branch, law enforcement and in the media have had their secrets and their private encounters recorded for leverage.

The only reason for illegal surveillance is for the information to be used against the citizens of this nation, not for them.

Edit:
DU-Document Change Request #DRC-58737256
IS: ...FISA process is a fast track...
Was: ...FISA process was a fast track...

[Walt Starr]

12. Seeing as how there were 1758 FISA applications in 2004 for wiretaps

and every last one of them were granted, we can only conclude that these wiretaps were made on political enemies for political gain and blackmail, and those politicians who do not come out against this blatant violation of the law must be doing so under threat of exposure.

[KG]

11. yeah, that must it!

:tinfoilhat:

[Walt Starr]

13. It's the simplest answer

Since the last time a FISA wiretap application was rejected was under the Clinton administration, we can only conclude that the wiretaps had nothing to do with national security and everything to do with blackmail.

[mopinko]

14. our course is clear.

the apologists must go. in both parties. i believe you are right, and the question is- what DID they have to hide? personally, i do not even need to know the answer to that. they have committed crimes, and/or are chickens. out with them all.