Thank You for Wiretapping (WSJ Editorial - Nails It)

Opinion Journal ^

[indianrightwinger]

Thank You for Wiretapping Why the Founders made presidents dominant on national security.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005 12:01 a.m. EST

Wisconsin Democrat Russ Feingold wants to be President, and that's fair enough. By all means go for it in 2008. The same applies to Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who's always on the Sunday shows fretting about the latest criticism of the Bush Administration's prosecution of the war on terror. But until you run nationwide and win, Senators, please stop stripping the Presidency of its Constitutional authority to defend America.

That is the real issue raised by the Beltway furor over last week's leak of National Security Agency wiretaps on international phone calls involving al Qaeda suspects. The usual assortment of Senators and media potentates is howling that the wiretaps are "illegal," done "in total secret," and threaten to bring us a long, dark night of fascism. "I believe it does violate the law," averred Mr. Feingold on CNN Sunday.

The truth is closer to the opposite. What we really have here is a perfect illustration of why America's Founders gave the executive branch the largest measure of Constitutional authority on national security. They recognized that a committee of 535 talking heads couldn't be trusted with such grave responsibility. There is no evidence that these wiretaps violate the law. But there is lots of evidence that the Senators are "illegally" usurping Presidential power--and endangering the country in the process.

The allegation of Presidential law-breaking rests solely on the fact that Mr. Bush authorized wiretaps without first getting the approval of the court established under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. But no Administration then or since has ever conceded that that Act trumped a President's power to make exceptions to FISA if national security required it.

[indianrightwinger]

Well said....

[roses of sharon]

Thank god there are still serious grownups somewhere in the media.

[Old Sarge]

What we really have here is a perfect illustration of why America's Founders gave the executive branch the largest measure of Constitutional authority on national security. They recognized that a committee of 535 talking heads couldn't be trusted with such grave responsibility.

I love that!

[Mo1]

The truth is closer to the opposite. What we really have here is a perfect illustration of why America's Founders gave the executive branch the largest measure of Constitutional authority on national security. They recognized that a committee of 535 talking heads couldn't be trusted with such grave responsibility. There is no evidence that these wiretaps violate the law. But there is lots of evidence that the Senators are "illegally" usurping Presidential power--and endangering the country in the process.

Sums it up right there

[adamsjas]

But no Administration then or since has ever conceded that that Act trumped a President's power to make exceptions to FISA if national security required it.

[msnimje]

I was just laughing at ole Senator Levin bitching about "no provision for spying in the Constitution."

I wonder if Senator Levin would like to show me the place in the Constitution that has the right to an abortion?

[Jeff Chandler]

This NSA crap is starting to boomerang on the Democrats.

[msnimje]

50 USC 1802:
(a)
(1) Notwithstanding any other law, the President, through the Attorney General, may authorize electronic surveillance without a court order under this subchapter to acquire foreign intelligence information for periods of up to one year[…]

[msnimje]

[Mo1]

This NSA crap is starting to boomerang on the Democrats.

They ALWAYS over reach

[bybybill]

Please, oh, please, rats and the MSM, Please, make this a big issue. You will lose, you sound stupid, and completly miss two points.
Most Americans will side with the President

Most Americans don`t trust you to defend the country

[truth_seeker]

"If Democrats want to continue this game of intelligence and wiretap "gotcha," the White House should release the names of every Congressman who received such a briefing."

Unless they shut up and drop the issue, I truly hope Bush does just this.

[I Drive Too Fast]

ping

[onyx]

Gotta love this --- democrats are proving they can't be trusted to lead the country.

[clee1]

Well, it's about time!

The day is coming where there will be a bounty placed on these treasonous demoncraps... for our own self-preservation.

[singfreedom]

Absolutely. It's just a shame there aren't more of them and that they aren't more visible. Thank God, common sense still reigns somewhere.

[digger48]

But everyone should note the irony that both the Times and Washington Post claimed to be outraged by, and demanded a special counsel to investigate, the leak of Valerie Plame's identity, which did zero national security damage.

[Christian4Bush]

bttt

[Jeff Chandler]

It is becoming increasingly apparent that this NSA crap is perhaps the biggest mistake the Democrats have ever made. They keep on insisting that they would never monitor terrorists. In their hatred of Bush they are truly hanging themselves. I mean, how stupid can they be?

[Jeff Chandler]

The day is coming where there will be a bounty placed on these treasonous demoncraps

There is no need for a bounty. They are shooting themselves...in the foot!