Posted on 12/29/2005 8:57:12 AM PST by mosquitobite
NEW YORK – In a full-page advertisement in today's New York Times, the American Civil Liberties Union intensified its call for a special counsel to be appointed to determine whether President George W. Bush violated federal wiretapping laws by authorizing illegal surveillance.
The ACLU said President Bush's actions were a clear violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which was passed by Congress in response to revelations that former President Nixon was using "national security" claims to spy on American citizens he considered his "enemies."
"President Nixon was not above the law and neither is President Bush," said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero. "President Bush cannot use a claim of seeking to preserve our nation to undermine the rules that serve as our foundation. The Attorney General, who may have been involved with the formulation of this policy, must appoint a special counsel to let justice be served."
The advertisement, as well as a similar ACLU ad that ran last Thursday, was spurred by revelations earlier this month that Bush authorized the National Security Agency (NSA) to conduct electronic surveillance of people within the United States, including U.S. citizens, without a warrant.
The text of today's advertisement compares the words of President Nixon and President Bush, both of whom denied allegations of illegal spying. Next to the image of Nixon, the advertisement says: "He lied to the American people and broke the law." Below that is an image of President Bush, with the words, "So did he."
The FISA wiretapping law made it a crime to intentionally engage in electronic surveillance without court approval. The president clearly violated the law when he authorized, and then repeatedly reauthorized, the NSA to spy on Americans without first obtaining a warrant, the ACLU said.
In a formal request sent last week to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, the ACLU called for the appointment of "an outside special counsel with the independence to investigate and prosecute any and all criminal acts committed by any member of the Executive Branch in the warrantless electronic surveillance of people in the United States over the past four years by the NSA," noting that "such crimes are serious felonies and they need to be fully and independently investigated."
How can you preserve American Democracy if you're dead because of stupidity?
Agreed, hope the investigation into lead has already commenced - we may never know. Don't you just love the hypocrisy of the libs - all sanctimonious about who leaked Plame, but I have heard all the libs say this one is not about the leaker, but the fact that Bush must be impeached for listening in on the terrorists who want to kill us all!! What BS. I want something to happen to the NYT for committing this treasonous act by printing the story after Bush asked them not to - isn't that a treasonous act? Wonder what the Supreme court would say?
They are freaking mad dogs and should be treated like mad dogs.
I am not an attorney, but as a man in the street I say it is treason or sedition. Unfortunately we are going to have to be attacked a couple more times for the sleepers in this country to wake up out of their stupor and prosecute the traitors. Fifth Column
So did they
And so did they
And now it's their turn
Help us stop the traitors from murdering more innocent people simply because they're American's
George W. Bush and the American people declared war on Al Qaeda and terrorism after September 11, 2001. The ACLU and their allies in the Democrat Party and the old media declared war on George W. Bush and the American people.
Which side are you on?
Why wasn't the DOJ on this case a year ago when Bush became aware the secrets had already been leaked to the NYT? Isn't that when he called Pinchie to the oval office and told him not to print it? That is when the DOJ should have commenced the investigation on WHO THE LEAKER WAS. It is most likely a Congresscritter and hence nothing will happen. Bush does not want to tangle with Congress. Seems to me that if the leaker was a NSA employee, a military person, or a civilian contrator, they would already have been prosecuted and the Admin would have seen to it that it got into the MSM to put the fear into other employees. BUT no not the Congress - that is why nothing has happened. Rockefeller Implicated in Plot to Leak Secret War Intel
Get A CLU aclu!
When is the ACLU going to demand answers from Hillary and IRS abuses?
Sorry, that's too vague to fly.
Why don't you just post a link?
"This should backfire on the ACLU and the rest of the seditious Democrats."
I predict this is going to blow up in their traitorous faces bigtime.
Thank you for that powerful reminder. If the ACLU and its ilk have their way it could happen again tomorrow. And I suspect they would rejoice.
Unfortunately looks quite possibly so. "When we talk about X" is a very common American idiom for "In regards to X". Everybody knows that. Unless there is substantive context to these remarks to show otherwise it looks like this time the mud actually hit. Bush should have said nothing rather than this.
Re#64 The investigation has commenced. IMHO, likely leakers are obviously the 'rat Senators. The judge who resigned from the FISA court is another possible source. Here's hoping that the DOJ puts a bulldog on it and he finds meat...
I am not sure what else to post or how to post my lik other than thiese reply's.
Lik is link
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