Specter threatens to block NSA funding to spy program

[debbierlus]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060427/ap_on_go_co/specter_nsa

[dogday]

1. Damn! What's up with Spector

He actually wants some real answers???

[Kansas Wyatt]

4. Playing hardball, because he realizes that the Republicans

Are about to be the minority party again, and he doesn't want to approve of a program a Democrat may someday use against Republican Scum.

[debbierlus]

11. Very possibly...

Or, he may just be freaked out that this regime has gone this far!

[Supersedeas]

17. he will eventually cave....he ALWAYS does

[bluethruandthru]

6. He always talks tough

but when it comes down to it...he's a regular repuke. Didn't put Gonzales the torture boy under oath..or the oil robber barons..he denigrates Feingold whenever he can and accuses everyone whose trying to find out what this corrupt band of criminals are doing of playing politics!

[originalpckelly]

7. Well I looked up the law and he was right...

There is no difference in punishment if you lie to Congress under oath or not. In fact this is another reason why President Bush should be impeached because he lied to the Congress knowingly and willfully in his 2003 State of The Union Address.

Here is the law about lying under oath:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00001621----000-.html

"...is guilty of perjury and shall, except as otherwise expressly provided by law, be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both..."

Here is the law about lying to Congress and the government in General:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00001001----000-.html

"shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both."

The punishment is the same in either case. He was right. I don't know why people are even sworn in anymore because of this law it isn't needed.

[AuntiBush]

19. CNN & MSNBC aired this earlier tonight...

Tiny clip of Specter saying as much. Had you blinked, you'd have missed it.

Is it smoke & mirrors, revving-up the ole' sinking-ship of GOPs up for re-election and to up Bush's sagging poll numbers?

Probably. Will believe it when I see it.

[acmavm]

2. There is NO SATISFACTORY EXPLANATION for this

ugly and illegal program. Cut the funds off permanently.

[Synnical]

3. Did you see this quote from Specter?

"It is true that we have no assurance that the president would follow any statute that we enact," Specter said. He said he's considering adding an amendment to stop funding of the program to an Iraq war-hurricane relief bill being debated by the Senate this week and next.

Did he just admit that Shrub regularly breaks the law?

[fooj]

8. That's how I read it.

Peace.

[Canuckistanian]

20. He's just realizing that NOW?

Psst! Arlen, buddy! He's been ignoring and marginalizing you for YEARS.

[AuntiBush]

21. Does Seem As Much.

Hmm...

[originalpckelly]

5. Arlen Specter had cancer last year...

this probably made him think about his legacy, and whether he really wanted to help the evil one. He is also a moderate and faced a tough election in 2004.

He is one of the few real Republicans left (pun partially intended. Well after I found it was funny.)

[debbierlus]

13. I am not impressed with Specter, at all.

But, perhaps, this is too much, even for him.

[originalpckelly]

9. Here is the important information:

Senator Specter asked Attorney General Torture a two simple questions, this is probably what made Specter stay with the good side of the force:
From the transcript of the February 6, 2006 hearing "Wartime Executive Power and the NSA’s Surveillance Authority"

SPECTER: Has the FISA Court declined to consider any information obtained from this program when considering warrants?

GONZALES: Sir, what I can say is that the sources of information provided or included in our application are advised or disclosed to the FISA Court. Because, obviously, one of the things they have to do is judge the reliability.

SPECTER: So if you have information that you're submitting to the FISA Court in support for a warrant, you tell them that it was obtained from this program?

GONZALES: Senator, I am uncomfortable talking in great detail about how this information is generally shared.

What I can say -- repeat what I just said. And that is, we, as a matter of routine, provide to the FISA Court information about the sources of the information that formed the basis of an application.

SPECTER: I'm not asking you how you get the information from the program. I'm asking you, do you tell the FISA Court that you got it from the program?

I want to know if they are declining to issue warrants because they are dissatisfied with the program.

GONZALES: Senator, I believe that getting into those kind of details is getting into the details about how the program is operated.

Obviously, the members of the court understand the existence of this program.

What I can say is, we have very open and very candid discussion and relationship with the FISA Court. To the extent that we're involved in intelligence activities that relate in any way to the FISA Court and they have questions about that, we have discussions with the FISA Court.

Our relationship with the court is extremely important. And we do everything that we can do to assure them with respect to our intelligence activities that affect decisions that they make.

SPECTER: I'm not going to press you further. But I'd ask you to reconsider your answer.

Here is the source of that transcript:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/06/AR2006020600931.html

[wryter2000]

10. Interesting

Specter also agreed with Democrats who say that any of the bills to tighten guidelines for National Security Agency program and increase congressional oversight could be flatly ignored by an administration with a long history of acting alone in security matters.

Go, Specter!

[file83]

12. Coming from the "Magic Bullet Theory" man, it's an interesting move.

[riderinthestorm]

14. Go Senator! n/t

[originalpckelly]

15. Specter is an important ally...

Because they can't just blow him off as a Democrat. Imagine the Headline:

"Republican Senator Specter Challenges Bush's Spy Program"

Need I say more?

[debbierlus]

16. Republicans have been shameful in their lack of responsibility

I have been very disappointed in Olympia Snowe and Lincoln Chafee. So called 'moderates' who have marched lock step with these criminals. I can't believe what good little Nazis they are...

Disgusting.

[originalpckelly]

18. We can only hope that he will do the right thing...

hope is about all we have now.

[Beelzebud]

24. I don't put any hope in Magic Bullet Specter...

[AuntiBush]

22. ON NOW - C-SPAN2 Nat'l Security Agency Suveillance Program

Up at the podium now, 7:15 PM EST, Sen. Specter talking...

[Tanyah]

23. IMPEACH!

Remember Nixon?