CNN breaking! Sen. Roberts says no NSA investigation!

[Wordie]

...this is per an agreement within the committee, according to what they say on CNN.

[Coexist]

1. I'm watching Biden's response.

Unreal.

Investigage Christmas card abuse, but not THIS.

Unreal.

[LSparkle]

3. This is what Biden is good at -- fighting back

with good righteous indignation.

[Coexist]

4. they want to see some ANGRY Dems?

Now they will.

[LSparkle]

6. Just wait until Barbara Boxer (APTLY NAMED) hears about this

Isn't she on the Intel Committee?

[Coexist]

I don't believe so - Foreign Relations, I believe -

Here it is:
http://boxer.senate.gov/about/comm.cfm


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senate_Intelligence_Committee#Democrats
Democrats
Vice Chairman John D. "Jay" Rockefeller IV of West Virginia
Carl Levin of Michigan
Dianne G. B. Feinstein of California
Ronald L. Wyden of Oregon
B. Evans "Evan" Bayh III of Indiana
Barbara Mikulski of Maryland
Russell Feingold of Wisconsin

[LSparkle]

18. Yes, you're right (I just realized after I posted that).

She'll make her voice heard no doubt. And thank God Feingold is on that committee!

[FreedomAngel82]

78. Is Leahy?

He kicks some botty too.

[berner59]

8. There BETTER be some angry Democratics...

and not just here on this board!! Roberts makes me wince in pain...what a snake...

[hang a left]

2. How can they justify no investigation.

:wtf:

[Wordie]

5. They apparently discussed concerns about leaks. nt

[LSparkle]

12. So in the name of "national security" we can't get to the bottom of

ANYTHING anymore??? This is sickening -- they keep using that same old, tired excuse to allow the bastards to keep doing as they please, to avoid being held accountable for anything.

AAAAARGHHHHH!

[Wordie]

32. Hey...it worked for Nixon...

:sarcasm:

[zanne]

37. No it didn't.

He was forced to resign for doing much less.

[Wordie]

43. I was being sarcastic.

(Sorry, I went back and added the "sarcasm" thingie to make it clearer what I meant.)

[FreedomAngel82]

79. Maybe now people will be angry

The Saudi oil port deal and now this. Maybe this will crack the dam?

[NoodleyAppendage]

28. Because they do not give a rat's ass about our country. They are traitors

The majority of Repukes are traitors to democratic ideals and the rule of law.

Roberts needs a big smack of karma.

JB

[cynatnite]

7. It means the warrentless spying will continue...

:puke:

[spanone]

42. IT NEVER STOPPED.

[cynatnite]

57. I was hoping with an investigation...

I should know better by now. LOL

[chelsea0011]

9. Too busy on Phase 2? Poor committee is sooooo overworked.

2006. Just around the corner.

[Perky]

47. ROFL

[dchill]

50. I would ROFL too...

if I wasn't worried about vomiting.

[HereSince1628]

10. Once again the majority party facilitates the Constitutional Crisis

History may not be any kinder to this crop of republicans than they were to the German parliment of the early 30's.

[rumpel]

11. Is he up for re-election, I hope. Roberts already obstructed so much

to protect the crooks in the 3rd branch, he must go.

[Surya Gayatri]

13. What legislative legerdemain

will they use to justify this? SG

[FreedomAngel82]

81. More FCC hearings?

:eyes: That was the lamest thing ever.

[cynatnite]

14. Where's Cafferty...I need to feel his outrage n/t

[Coexist]

17. He is coming up on CNN soon...

tune in and see!

[madaboutharry]

15. I think we have lost our country.

This should really bring home to people what one party rule brings to a nation.

[leftchick]

60. we have lost the country

and it will bring nothing home to the koolaide drinkers. They will think this is a good thing.

:cry:

[FreedomAngel82]

82. We lost the country long ago

November 22, 1963. You're just now figuring it out?

[leftchick]

98. nah, I figured it out a long time ago

:eyes:

[incapsulated]

16. I am really surprised people are surprised by this

I know I'm a cynic, but I saw this coming a mile away. They control the committees. They control both Houses and are going to protect their party by any means necessary. When have they not? Sure, they have a dog and pony show now and then, and rap some official on the knuckles and act all offended, and they walk away with new legislation giving them even more power to abuse. Rinse, wash, repeat.

[seabeyond]

26. i saw it too committee talking to gonzales. then we heard

rove was strong arming the repugs. yes, we knew that this is exactly what they were going to do, pass a law to make it legal to ignore the illegal. repugs made it clear that is what they were going to do.

[LSparkle]

30. But this cuts to the idea of separate but equal branches of power

I'd hope that some Senators would see this overreach as threatening THEIR function, and be indignant regardless of which party the president represents. After voting for the Iraq War, they're now signing ANOTHER blank check over to this idiot POS empty suit Braindead Leader!!! If they're THAT willing to just bow and kiss the ring of Der Weiner, then WTF ARE THEY DOING IN D.C.? (Oh, that's right -- lining their own pockets ... )

[incapsulated]

41. Well, I think most of us have seen they aren't going to do anything

This is just the most recent, even if one of the worst, abuses of power that this party engages in on a regular basis. Even I thought that this would pick up more outrage, because no one is safe. But then, the repukes are used to their own party treating them all like prisoners by now, they probably wouldn't be surprised to find out that Rove was bugging them.

[bklyncowgirl]

96. WTF are they doing in DC.

Why lining their pockets and those of their big bucks buddies. Does Congress have any other purpose in our New America?

[smartvoter]

40. I was bludgeoned for predicting this. nt

[incapsulated]

44. It's happened to me, too

People want to believe that something will finally happen to tip the scales. But we can't wait for the repukes to "get jesus". Funnel that outrage into getting dems elected instead or we are all screwed.

[FreedomAngel82]

83. Right

It's like with Specter. People say "oh he respects the Constitution!" and then have that dumbass whitewash hearing with Gonzo and didn't even swear the damn guy in! I'm always like: hello this is magic bullet man and you're going to trust him?!

[Klukie]

19. Was this the only way to nail them?

[incapsulated]

23. There is an internal judicial investigation

Into leaks, lol.

The way to nail them is to win in 2006 and regain control of the committees. If not, we are really heading for a fall.

[Klukie]

27. Who is in charge of that?

[incapsulated]

31. Dept. of Justice n/t

[Klukie]

45. Would we get anywhere with legislation to stop the program?

[incapsulated]

54. I don't know but

We are still the minority. They will really crack the whip on this one with the republicans because they have an election coming up and don't want this to be an issue. I can't imagine many dissenters within the ranks over "national security issues" when they have elections around the corner.

What is sad is that the democrats, once again, conceded the debate before it really started.

[Klukie]

58. This is a sad day!

We are truly becoming a dictatorship via fear.

[incapsulated]

63. One of many

Since these thugs took power.

Welcome to DU, by the way! :hi:

[FreedomAngel82]

86. We became one when Bush was illegally sworn in 2001

[FreedomAngel82]

85. WE can damn sure make it a debate!

[Catrina]

66. *lol* ~ I was just wondering the same thing ~ and then I remembered ~

the same 'leadership' that voted with the Repubs today on the Patriot Act ~ the ones who will decide which candidates WE will support ~ I know, it's not funny, except in a very sick kind of way ~

I keep hearing 'we need to get people in Congress who will fight for us' and when we do, we decide that they are too 'new' and too 'poor' to be effective. Too 'rich' and too 'old' has been VERY effective :sarcasm:

[Coexist]

29. and this is important to this now, since its all we've got:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x444385

MSNBC: U.S. MUST release domestic spying documents

[Ksec]

25. No. See post 22

[kainah]

69. no

The Senate Judiciary Committee is also investigating. Anything Intelligence does is likely to wind up hidden from public view regardless. The danger here is if Roberts really does manage to "fix" the law. That will closer to the "fix" that the pre-war intelligence got.

Interestingly, the AP has subsumed this story into the one about the DC Circuit Court ordering the Justice Department to turn over the documents under FISA. And, a few hours after Roberts' comments were first reported, it's beginning to sound as though he's overblown his ability to make things happen again.

We have to raise an enormous ruckus on this. This is something that cuts to the core of who we are as a country and repugs must be shamed into siding with the Constitution rather than their party.

[Poiuyt]

20. Can we say Fascism yet?

[mom cat]

65. Don't just say it. ... Scream it!

[amber dog democrat]

21. We need to get controll of the House

That is the only way to get some leverge. When we have more votes to assign special prosecutors,
manage legeslation and conduct real investigations, we will really start gaining ground.
I don't know if this is over yet. I am not surprised by this reaction.

[BuyingThyme]

35. The people running our party are too stupid and/or complicit.

[Ksec]

22. Oh. Naturally.

Its time folks.

Time to Hit the streets and make our government responsible again. I saw this happen during the VietNam war, when the gov got out of control and the citizens made em sit up and realize that THEY work for us, not the other way around. I believe its time to rattle some cages and take our country back..

[FreedomAngel82]

87. People have been on the streets all along

And they don't give a damn. You think they care people are protesting? HA! Not when they control everything in our government including now our votes.

[Wordie]

24. More info from Yahoo news story:

Sen.: White House Agrees to Spy Law Change

By KATHERINE SHRADER, Associated Press Writer 41 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Senate Intelligence Chairman Pat Roberts said he has worked out an agreement with the White House to change U.S. law regarding the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance program and provide more information about it to Congress.

"We are trying to get some movement, and we have a clear indication of that movement," Roberts, R-Kan., said.

Without offering specifics, Roberts said the agreement with the White House provides "a fix" to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and offers more briefings to the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The deal comes as the committee was set to have a meeting Thursday about whether to open an investigation into the hotly disputed program. Roberts indicated the deal may eliminate the need for such an inquiry. Democrats have been demanding an investigation but some Republicans don't want to tangle the panel in a testy election-year probe.

"Whether or not an investigation is the right thing to do at this particular time, I am not sure," Roberts told reporters while heading into the meeting.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060216/ap_on_go_co/eavesdropping_4

So now he came out of the meeting and announced no investigation "at this time."

[LSparkle]

34. What about the Specter hearings? Can Roberts just step in

and pre-empt what decision might have been made by the Judiciary Committee?

[BuyingThyme]

36. No, but Specter will shut that one down on his own.

[dchill]

56. Yup.

What's the Matter With Kansas?
Pat Roberts*
What's the Matter With Pennsylvania?
Arlen Specter*

*Research is preliminary - there are probably more things wrong in these two states. (Like Sam Brownback and Rick Santorum.)

[Wordie]

61. Here's info about the Judiciary investigation:

from the same Yahoo story:

Separately, the Justice Department has strongly discouraged the Senate Judiciary Committee from calling former Attorney General John Ashcroft and his deputy to testify about the surveillance program, saying they won't have new information for Congress about it.

Just as Attorney General Alberto Gonzales could not talk about the administration's internal deliberations when he appeared before the committee earlier this month, neither can Ashcroft nor his former No. 2, James Comey, Assistant Attorney General William Moschella said in a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa.

The letter, written Wednesday, was obtained by The Associated Press.

"In light of their inability to discuss such confidential information, along with the fact that the attorney general has already provided the executive branch position on the legal authority for the program, we do not believe that Messrs. Ashcroft and Comey would be in a position to provide any new information to the committee," Moschella wrote. He was responding to Specter's request that the two men testify this month.

While Moschella indicated their testimony wouldn't be of value, he did not say the committee could not call Ashcroft and Comey to appear.

The Judiciary Committee has been looking into the legality of the National Security Agency's program. In a heated daylong hearing on Feb. 6, four Republicans joined the committee's Democrats in raising questions about whether President Bush went too far in authorizing the wiretapping without court warrants.

Specter wants the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to review the program's constitutionality.

Reports have indicated that Comey and others had reservations about the program in 2004. White House Chief of Staff Andy Card and Gonzales, then the White House counsel, visited Ashcroft about those issues while Ashcroft was in the hospital for gallstone pancreatitis.

[caligirl]

38. Senator Roberts, POS, hang him by his nails.

[rodeodance]

64. the only thing that needed fixing was for the WH to obey NSA law.

[FreedomAngel82]

88. Because they're busy changing the law that's why!

So when they do have "hearings" nothing will be wrong or illegal by then!

[SpiralHawk]

33. The sound you hear is the Hammer of Facism

whacking the ever-loving shit out of America and its Constitution and its citizens.

Fascism is here.

So shut up and sit down, and eat your choco-rations.

Don't forget: Big BushCo loves you.

[Donailin]

39. sick to my stomach

does everyone realize what this means?

[Pachamama]

73. I realize what it means....

....and I am numb with anger, rage, sadness, and scared....

My stomach feels sick and my body is feeling like the air just got knocked out of me....I'm sitting here reading and catching up on the news and hearing about what has been "decided" and the realization just hit me that its over....I feel almost as if I can't even fight anymore....that now its just going to be survival of me and my family and that I will have to make decisions based on that. And at the same time, I ask myself if even if that's what I do, what will/can I do to take care of my family?

I just know that the battle against this cancer for the last 5 years has been full tilt and yet we have made barely any progress in affecting it or stopping it...quite the contrary: the cancer has grown and spread and has become worse all over. At this point, the death is what I wait for....the death of our democracy and nation as our founding father's dreamt it....as the many generations who have fought and died for this country and its ideals to make it the place that people wouldn't want to leave and that people wanted to come to. Meanwhile, our planet is in chaos, our world is dying and its all inter-connected....

I feel helpless and don't know what to do anymore.... :cry:

[leftchick]

80. I feel the exact same way. It is over...

Even before this Alito did it for me along with my state siding with DRE vendors for us to vote on the fucking machines. That is why I have to get the hell out of here with my family. :cry:

[Independent_Liberal]

I hope to God Roberts goes down in the Abramoff scandal.

That bastard. I want to see them nail him with everything they've got.

[Mass]

46. Did Rockefeller answer to that?

[npincus]

48. What can Dems do in protest as a united front?

[dusty64]

92. SHUT DOWN THE

SENATE! That is the ONLY reply to this bullshit. Sadly, I doubt it will happen. What ever happened to phase 2 btw?

[Wordie]

100. Visit EarlG's latest ActivistHQ appeal: Impeachment/Out of Iraq...

Link here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=106&topic_id=26858&mesg_id=26858

...although it isn't directed at Senator Roberts, who might deserve his own protest.

[rucky]

102. General Strike

If we can't shut down the government, then we shut down the corporations.

[dchill]

49. What in the name of...

irrational insecurity is going on?

[stop the bleeding]

51. here is my solution

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x444283

[Hell Hath No Fury]

52. I want the names of every Dem...

on that committee who agreed to that shit. :mad:

[caligirl]

55. I called DiFi's office, the girl said she supports an investigation

but did not know this latest news. Can anyone find out what the dems on that committee are doing about this.?

[Hell Hath No Fury]

59. Good ol' Di hasn't gotten my vote...

the last two elections, so I'm more worried about Feingold (who I am considering supporting for President), Rockefeller, and Harmon.

[wisteria]

53. All smoke and mirrors, no real substance. I knew Specter was

just faking outrage and playing the honest moderate senator on this. He never sees anything through. He figures we won't notice. Repubs are not going to really investigate the President.
I guess you can say this is a win for Bush and his terror shtick.

[rodeodance]

62. Roberts is the same Sen. who is whitewashing Phase II.

[emulatorloo]

68. Roberts spends 24/7 covering for Bush admin - total slime

He is just evil.

[Nikki Stone1]

67. It's a crime not to investigate this.

The pugs are shameless.

[progressoid]

70. UN-fvcking-believable

I need a drink!!

[spanone]

71. Cheney was the smokescreen, they got the Patriot Act too.

[Wordie]

72. Doing the President's Dirty Work (NYT Editorial)

Editorial
Doing the President's Dirty Work

Published: February 17, 2006

...For more than a year, Mr. Roberts has been dragging out an investigation into why Mr. Bush presented old, dubious and just plain wrong intelligence on Iraq as solid new proof that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and was in league with Al Qaeda. It was supposed to start after the 2004 election, but Mr. Roberts was letting it die of neglect until the Democrats protested by forcing the Senate into an unusual closed session last November.

...Mr. Roberts had promised to hold a committee vote yesterday on whether to investigate. But he canceled the vote, and then made two astonishing announcements. He said he was working with the White House on amending the 1978 law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, to permit warrantless spying. And then he suggested that such a change would eliminate the need for an inquiry.

Stifling his own committee without even bothering to get the facts is outrageous. As the vice chairman of the panel, Senator John Rockefeller IV, pointed out, supervising intelligence gathering is in fact the purpose of the intelligence committee.

Mr. Rockefeller said the White House had not offered enough information to make an informed judgment on the program possible. It is withholding, for instance, such minor details as how the program works, how it is reviewed, how much and what kind of information is collected, and how the information is stored and used.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/17/opinion/17fri1.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[Loge23]

91. Roberts belongs in prison.

Roberts is obviously and shamelessly covering the administration's dirty tracks.
He should be arrested and tried for treason.
WTF is going on with our government??
I can't believe this is happening right under our noses and nothing is being done about it.

[Wordie]

99. Well...maybe Roberts realizes everyone is busy...

obsessing over Dick Cheney's shooting incident? :(

Although the story about Sen. Roberts is still in the news. CNN is talking right now about how a lot of Republicans are still unhappy with the wiretapping problem, despite Roberts' action.

[deacon]

74. Makes Roberts a traitor, he now has broken the oath he took and

that goes to any congress person that does not support and investigation into something so obvious as the president breaking the law.

If a lawmaker can see that there should not be an investigation over this, they have no business being a lawmaker.

[Nothing Without Hope]

75. So Rove's blackmailing WORKED? (LINKS)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2109517
thread title (2-14-06 LBN): WP: Congressional Probe of NSA Spying Is in Doubt (WH sways GOP Lawmakers)
Comment/excerpt: Washington Post. Rove’s blackmailing of the GOPs is working. “Congress appeared ready to launch an investigation into the Bush administration's warrantless domestic surveillance program last week, but an all-out White House lobbying campaign has dramatically slowed the effort and may kill it, key Republican and Democratic sources said yesterday.”

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x342591
thread title (2-6-06 GD): Rove Threatens Republican Senators...
Comment/excerpt: “Congressional sources said Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove has threatened to blacklist any Republican who votes against the president. The sources said the blacklist would mean a halt in any White House political or financial support of senators running for re-election in November.”
Keith Olbermann covers Rove’s “enemies list” on Countdown. VIDEO:
http://www.canofun.com/cof/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=16329

And I'm not the only one to think that more old-fashioned blackmailing with evidence found with the spying is being used here and more broadly:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x338735
thread title (2-6-06 GD): Ex-Reagan official- Dubya uses spying to blackmail media & Dems
Comment/excerpt: About the author:?Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of National Review.

We cannot be silent about this.

[Nothing Without Hope]

76. Are they going to pass DeWine's blatant whitewash bill? (LINK)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2460473
(2-14-06) Dewine (R Ohio) to introduce NSA whitewash bill. Hearings to be canceled?

[FreedomAngel82]

77. Now who could've seen that coming, really?

:eyes: Maybe it's time for another senate shut down. :mad: I can't believe these people are fucking with my civil rights and my fellow Americans!

[Hubert Flottz]

84. What did you expect out of a Nazi?

That man is a heartless Nazi pig! He'd gladly stand in line, to do a double back Monica L, with a half twist, in a pike position, on Bush at the super bowl halftime, for a dollar, or less!(two bits maybe) A rabid, caustic, Col.Klink wanna-bee, may he someday split hell wide open, and burn, baby burn, forever and always!

[in_cog_ni_to]

89. OK. So, they have shown their true colors, AGAIN. What now?

What will happen? Will we have an independent prosecutor/independent investigation? Will Fitzgerald take this on? Will another proscecutor? They have OBVIOUSLY broken the law. Constitutional attorneys have said this is an IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE. They should be in PRISON, not running our government. It looks like this has been left up "to the people."....Like they listen to us???? Look at what happened with Scalito! They don't give a shit what we think. What now?

[Disturbed]

90. Bush and Cheney violate Laws.

Instead of Impeachment which is required, our Congress just changes the Laws to suit the Bush Regime and ignores the crimes.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

93. and Republicans call for "Rewrite!" nt.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

94. Who says the Intelligence Committee is the only one who can investigate?

I'm sure the scope of this might spillover into some other Committee.

[Nothing Without Hope]

95. **The HOUSE WILL be conducting an NSA investigation - LINK:

The question is the scope, which is under vigorous debate:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2115135
thread title (2-17-06 LBN): NYT: "Accord in House to Hold Inquiry on Surveillance" (Senate NO, HR YES)
Comment/excerpt: “Leaders of the House Intelligence Committee said Thursday that they had agreed to open a Congressional inquiry prompted by the Bush administration's domestic surveillance program. But a dispute immediately broke out among committee Republicans over the scope of the inquiry.”

The Senators are responding to Rove's blackmail:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2109517&mesg_id=2109940
and they and the Representatives need to be shown that they do not answer ONLY to the White House.

Contact your Senators & Represenatives to demand accountability and reject whitewashing ploys like Sen. Dewine's bill:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2460473
thread title (2-14-06 GD-P): Dewine (R Ohio) to introduce NSA whitewash bill. Hearings to be canceled?
Comment/excerpt: “Dewine's bill will:
1.Maintain the curtain of secrecy over the NSA Domestic spying program as it has operated since Feb 2001;
2. Set up a fig leaf of congressional ‘authorization’ for Bush's current program;
3. Eliminate any input from the Judicial Branch of government by exempting Bush from the 1978 FISA Act
4. (And most important) Kill the currently scheduled bipartisan Senate inquiry, allowing the Rove to craft the 2006 campaign around their so-called ‘Terrorist Surveillance Program’ ".

[converted_democrat]

97. I'm done.. I can't stay in this country anymore.. They aren't even

pretending anymore..

[dusty64]

101. SHUT DOWN THE

FUCKIN SENATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If the Dems let this slide as they have EVERY other outrage, they are finished in my eyes. I will NOT vote for a Washington elite Democrat again, NEVER!

[wakemewhenitsover]

103. Kick and recommend