Posted on 02/06/2006 11:40:01 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) -- Former President Jimmy Carter criticized the Bush administration's domestic eavesdropping program Monday and said he believes the president has broken the law.
"Under the Bush administration, there's been a disgraceful and illegal decision - we're not going to the let the judges or the Congress or anyone else know that we're spying on the American people," Carter told reporters. "And no one knows how many innocent Americans have had their privacy violated under this secret act."
Carter made the remarks at a union hall near Las Vegas, where his oldest son, Jack Carter, announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate.
The former president also rebuked Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for telling Congress that the spying program is authorized under Article 2 of the Constitution and does not violate the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act passed during Carter's administration. Gonzales made the assertions in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which began investigating the eavesdropping program Monday.
"It's a ridiculous argument, not only bad, it's ridiculous. Obviously, the attorney general who said it's all right to torture prisoners and so forth is going to support the person who put him in office. But he's a very partisan attorney general and there's no doubt that he would say that," Carter said. "I hope that eventually the case will go to the Supreme Court. I have no doubt that when it's over, the Supreme Court will rule that Bush has violated the law."
The former president said he would testify before the Judiciary Committee if asked.
"If my voice is important to point of the intent of the law that was passed when I was president, I know all about that because it was one of the most important decisions I had to make."
BUMP
I'm finding it hard to even read "news" pieces in which this guy is the subject.
Hey Carter you liberal idiot you caused all this crap because you were a pansy over 35 years ago!
Is that braying I hear?
Unless a RAT Prez. does it. Try to remember that jimmie.
Even rabbits know a fool when they attack one.
Ya well nobody asked you so go bug off.
Hey Carter go hang out with some dictator, doesnt matter which one your friends with them all.
...let the American people suffer with 19% interest rates and others languish, held for 444 days in another country was a few other decisions he made
Doogle
Shouldn't Jimmay be reading bedtime stories to Michael Moore or something?
I find that more each day I am longing to see the pageantry of Carters funeral. We should have heeded the warning when he and Roselyn walked instead of riding down Pennsylvania Avenue after his inauguration.
Thats OK. Helms is an enemy of the party. Terrorists are freinds f the party.
Who cares what ole coot carter has to say? We Americans want NSA to listen to what our enemies are up to. I'm sick of the msm media and it's parrots saying "domestic spying" when they've been told relentlessly that we are only listening to "foreign terrorists."
I named the wrong "enemy" of the party - Strom Thurmond, not Jesse Helms.
Still works. :-)
I'm from Canada and privacy laws are the big thing going at the moment. Canadians are completely paranoid about the Patriot Act and it's effect on information access. But personally I honestly don't know what is getting people so hot and bothered.
MORE PEOPLE NEED TO STOP JUDGING FOR THEMSELVES AND THINK MY WAY, THE RIGHT WAY. THE ONLY WAY
yea something like that.
Carter made the first fatal mistake that emboldened Islamic terrorism. That was followed by the retreat in Lebanon and then the retreat from Somalia. (Of course the Europeans were light years ahead of the US - trading terrorists for peace)
Nam Vet
Carter told reporters. "And no one knows how many innocent Americans have had their privacy violated under this secret act."
AND...no one knows how many traitorous American politicians and bureaucrats have had their privacy violated. It seems Democrats are reactively defensive on their own behalf, but not on the behalf of National Security. By insisting that "eavesdropping" is illegal, are members of our disloyal opposition, the Democrats, preemptively dismissing any *evidence* that might surface against them???
Democrats are more interested in protecting themselves than American citizens. Me thinks they protest too much.
"There you go again . . . "
Carter defending Carterism. He's a very partisan ex-president. By the way, I believe he's the only sitting president in my lifetime who was voted out of office in a landslide. Hhmmm.
the bunny needs a pancake
Ex-President Carter is ILLEGAL!
Doesn't Jimmah look cute in his little "judge" suit, pontificating on what is and isn't legal?
That damn rabbit is still chasing him!....Hit him again with your oar Jimmy...Harvey and the Pink Elephants will get you one day Jimmy...
This title should read:
Ex-President Carter: Irrelevant.
Carter's kid is running for Congress. It seems to me that the best thing his Rep opponent can do is keep mentioning that Jimmy the Peanut Man is his father...
I was really really really wrong.
Now, Jimma, they are many, many people who know how many innocent 'mericans have had they privacy violated, an the answa is none!
Fixed.
Jimmy knows ridiculous.
I find your comments to be terribly offensive. My pet parrots do NOT appreciate being compared to lower forms of life like MSM reporters.
Gawd, where does one START with this idiot?
First of all, Jimmah, if you chose to not exercise your Constitutional perogative to defend this country properly, that is your choice as president (and it was the choice of voters to promptly replace you with someone who would). But your acts as president do NOT act as a constraint on other presidents within the Constitutionally-mandated scope of the executive.
Oh, and Jimmah - we now see why your presidency was such a failure - to you, deciding to hamstring our defenses against our enemies was one of the most important decisions you had to make (other than giving away the Panama Canal). But when it came to the really important decisions, like taking on the Iranians, you curled up like a beaten puppy and whimpered.
So why the hell, in this day and age begotten by your distant unwillingness to stand up to Islamic terrorism, should we listen to ANYTHING you say, other than to make sure we DON'T follow your advice?
Jimmy should stick with peanuts; it's the one area in which he can make a contribution.
Pensions for ex-presidents Carter and Clinton should be cancelled, but they should be provided with government housing provided they both live together.
Meals-On-Wheels could roll in daily to give these simpletons grits and powdered eggs.
They would not be allowed out in polite society as both look like aged perverts, so they would only be allowed to discourse between themselves.
Jimmuuh signed a law reducing the Constitutional power of the President.
Now Jimmuuh is mad because his attempt to nullify the Constitution is being shown for what it is, a meaningless effort to nullify the Constitution.
Sorry Jimmuuh, go back to North Korea now.
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