BUSH'S SNOOPGATE - Jonathan Alter's Newsweek Web-Exclusive Commentary

Newsweek On-Line ^ | 12/19/05 | Jonathan Alter

[Kimberly GG]

WEB-EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY By Jonathan Alter Newsweek Updated: 6:17 p.m. ET Dec. 19, 2005

Dec. 19, 2005 - Finally we have a Washington scandal that goes beyond sex, corruption and political intrigue to big issues like security versus liberty and the reasonable bounds of presidential power. President Bush came out swinging on Snoopgate—he made it seem as if those who didn’t agree with him wanted to leave us vulnerable to Al Qaeda—but it will not work. We’re seeing clearly now that Bush thought 9/11 gave him license to act like a dictator, or in his own mind, no doubt, like Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.

No wonder Bush was so desperate that The New York Times not publish its story on the National Security Agency eavesdropping on American citizens without a warrant, in what lawyers outside the administration say is a clear violation of the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. I learned this week that on December 6, Bush summoned Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger and executive editor Bill Keller to the Oval Office in a futile attempt to talk them out of running the story. The Times will not comment on the meeting, but one can only imagine the president’s desperation.

[pookie18]

http://www.radioblogger.com/#001242

[Chuck54]

..yawn......

[P-40]

Newsweek. Now there's a winner. I'm old enough to remember a time when Newsweek and Time were respected publications and not tabloids. And MTV used to show videos too.

[Dane]

—he made it seem as if those who didn’t agree with him wanted to leave us vulnerable to Al Qaeda—

Hey johnny jihad altar, that is exactly what you want to do. You and your liberal democrat cohorts.

[conservativecorner]

CLINTON ADMINISTRATION SECRET SEARCH ON AMERICANS -- WITHOUT COURT ORDER

CARTER EXECUTIVE ORDER: 'ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE' WITHOUT COURT ORDER

Bill Clinton Signed Executive Order that allowed Attorney General to do searches without court approval

Clinton, February 9, 1995: "The Attorney General is authorized to approve physical searches, without a court order"

WASH POST, July 15, 1994: Extend not only to searches of the homes of U.S. citizens but also -- in the delicate words of a Justice Department official -- to "places where you wouldn't find or would be unlikely to find information involving a U.S. citizen... would allow the government to use classified electronic surveillance techniques, such as infrared sensors to observe people inside their homes, without a court order."

Deputy Attorney General Jamie S. Gorelick, the Clinton administration believes the president "has inherent authority to conduct warrantless searches for foreign intelligence purposes."

Secret searches and wiretaps of Aldrich Ames's office and home in June and October 1993, both without a federal warrant.

Jimmy Carter Signed Executive Order on May 23, 1979: "Attorney General is authorized to approve electronic surveillance to acquire foreign intelligence information without a court order."

END

[GW and Twins Pawpaw]

The unrelenting search by the left for something on Bush so they may return to their favorite sports: Denigrating the United States and redistribution of other peoples' money.

[Thermalseeker]

Newsweek. Now there's a winner. I'm old enough to remember a time when Newsweek and Time were respected publications and not tabloids. And MTV used to show videos too.

Man, you are old!

Merry Christmas!

[randita]

No, Bush was desperate to keep the Times from running this important story—which the paper had already inexplicably held for a year—because he knew that it would reveal him as a law-breaker. He insists he had “legal authority derived from the Constitution and congressional resolution authorizing force.” But the Constitution explicitly requires the president to obey the law. And the post 9/11 congressional resolution authorizing “all necessary force” in fighting terrorism was made in clear reference to military intervention. It did not scrap the Constitution and allow the president to do whatever he pleased in any area in the name of fighting terrorism.

And the lies continue to mount. BTW, don't all Jonathan Alter columns require a "barf alert" warning? (LOL)

[School of Rational Thought]

How does Jonathan Alter know the subject of the taps were American citizens as he claims?

Some might have been and then none may have been. How does he know?

[God luvs America]

nevermind the fact if you are going to give Alter, a writer for the Nation, space in newsweak, at least be consistent and let sean hannity or mark levine write a column....

[boomop1]

This should untie W's hands and he should start releasing Clintoon violations of the law, should be many thousand pages, Gorelic o
ought to be very afraid.

[roses of sharon]

LOL, a Carter speech writer helping the emeny?

Working for Newsweek?

"Yawn" is right!

[Kimberly GG]

This man is dispicable. I think what we IMMEDIATELY need to do is to switch from defense to offense.

Enough explaining to these morons that what Bush did was perfectly legal and enough trying to justify it based on what past President's have done.

Our focus (and that of the Bush Administration) needs to immediately change to OFFENSE. I'd like to see all Republican leadership who appear on tv, no matter what the reason, discuss our determination to discover WHO is responsible for leaking this information and on the steps that need to be taken to punish them to the fullest extent of the law.

I certainly hope that the Republican leadership does NOT allow themselves to remain on the defense about this for months and months to come. Real crimes have been committed and must be prosecuted, our lives may depend on it.

[Buffettfan]

Alter will be on the Bill O'Reilly radio show today. Whether you like Bill or not, he will chew Alter up and spit him out.

[Paloma_55]

"Finally we have a Washington scandal that goes beyond sex, corruption...."

I thought he was going to say...."And goes into the mysterious death of a White House lawyer, whose body was found laying in an odd position, holding a gun, with carpet fibers all over his body, in Ft Marcy Park."

Or...."And goes into the mysterious death of the Secretary of Commerce, who was killed in a plane that for some odd reason, did not have a black-box...the secretary's briefcase, which purportedly held evidence of administration trading of seats on commerce trips in exchange for political donations, has not been found."

Or.... "And goes into the mysterious disappearance of top-secret files from America's Sandia labs..."

Or... "And goes into the transfer of missle technology from Loral (a big contributor) to Communist China."

But nooooooooooooo!!!

[theDentist]

Before he sits down to write this tripe, does Jonny-boy take vicadin?

[Kimberly GG]

wow.....you were faster than I was at replying to my own post.

This article was a topic of discussion on O'Reilly last night. Obviously Atler did not appear, so I went hunting for this article.

Yes.....I should have added GAG, GAG, GAG

[Just mythoughts]

"Dec. 19, 2005 - Finally we have a Washington scandal that goes beyond sex, corruption and political intrigue to big issues like security versus liberty and the reasonable bounds of presidential power."


That word "finally" says all need be said. These liberal have designed a scandal they can all be proud of. Reminds me of the euphoria on the evolution thread where a federal judge said "GOD" is not allowed in a science class. Man in all his/her naked glory, VANITY of Vanities!!!!!!

"What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

[randita]

Man, Hewitt eviscerated Alter -- great stuff!