Skip to comments.
Thank You for Wiretapping (WSJ Editorial - Nails It)
Opinion Journal ^
Posted on 12/19/2005 10:36:39 PM PST by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
TOPICS: Editorial; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: bush; homelandsecurity; intelligence; newyorktimes; nsa; nyt; patriotleak; president; snoopgate; spying; surveillance; terrorism; terrorists; thankyou; wiretapping; wsj
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80 ... 121-134 next last
Well said....
To: indianrightwinger
Thank god there are still serious grownups somewhere in the media.
2
posted on
12/19/2005 10:39:00 PM PST
by
roses of sharon
("I would rather men ask why I have no statue, than why I have one". ) (Cato the Elder)
To: indianrightwinger
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!
3
posted on
12/19/2005 10:41:42 PM PST
by
Old Sarge
(In a Hole in the Ground, there Lived a Fobbit...)
To: indianrightwinger
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
4
posted on
12/19/2005 10:41:59 PM PST
by
Mo1
(Republicans protect Americans from Terrorists. Democrats protect Terrorists from Americans)
To: indianrightwinger
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.
5
posted on
12/19/2005 10:46:32 PM PST
by
adamsjas
To: indianrightwinger
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?
6
posted on
12/19/2005 10:47:20 PM PST
by
msnimje
(Political Correctness -- An OFFENSIVE attempt not to offend.)
To: indianrightwinger
This NSA crap is starting to boomerang on the Democrats.
7
posted on
12/19/2005 10:47:39 PM PST
by
Jeff Chandler
(Peace Begins in the Womb)
To: indianrightwinger
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[
]
8
posted on
12/19/2005 10:47:51 PM PST
by
msnimje
(Political Correctness -- An OFFENSIVE attempt not to offend.)
To: Jeff Chandler
9
posted on
12/19/2005 10:48:56 PM PST
by
msnimje
(Political Correctness -- An OFFENSIVE attempt not to offend.)
To: Jeff Chandler
This NSA crap is starting to boomerang on the Democrats. They ALWAYS over reach
10
posted on
12/19/2005 10:49:20 PM PST
by
Mo1
(Republicans protect Americans from Terrorists. Democrats protect Terrorists from Americans)
To: indianrightwinger
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
11
posted on
12/19/2005 10:49:42 PM PST
by
bybybill
(GOD help us if the Rats win)
To: indianrightwinger
"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.
To: windcliff
To: Mo1
Gotta love this --- democrats are proving they can't be trusted to lead the country.
14
posted on
12/19/2005 10:51:35 PM PST
by
onyx
(Merry Christmas everybody.)
To: indianrightwinger
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.
15
posted on
12/19/2005 10:51:38 PM PST
by
clee1
(We use 43 muscles to frown, 17 to smile, and 2 to pull a trigger. I'm lazy and I'm tired of smiling.)
To: roses of sharon
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.
16
posted on
12/19/2005 10:52:51 PM PST
by
singfreedom
("Victory at all costs,.......for without victory there is no survival."--Churchill--that's "Winston")
To: indianrightwinger
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.
17
posted on
12/19/2005 10:53:36 PM PST
by
digger48
To: indianrightwinger
18
posted on
12/19/2005 10:55:24 PM PST
by
Christian4Bush
("The only 'new tone' we hear should be that of the Left's telephone being disconnected. " dogcaller)
To: Mo1
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?
19
posted on
12/19/2005 10:55:33 PM PST
by
Jeff Chandler
(Peace Begins in the Womb)
To: clee1
The day is coming where there will be a bounty placed on these treasonous demoncrapsThere is no need for a bounty. They are shooting themselves...in the foot!
20
posted on
12/19/2005 10:56:45 PM PST
by
Jeff Chandler
(Peace Begins in the Womb)
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80 ... 121-134 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson