'WIRE' LAW FAILED LOST GI: 10-HOUR DELAY AS FEDS SOUGHT TAP TO TRACK JIMENEZ CAPTORS IN IRAQ

New York Post ^ | October 15, 2007 | CHARLES HURT, Bureau Chief

[Doctor Raoul]

'WIRE' LAW FAILED LOST GI

10-HOUR DELAY AS FEDS SOUGHT TAP TO TRACK JIMENEZ CAPTORS IN IRAQ
By CHARLES HURT, Bureau Chief

October 15, 2007

WASHINGTON - U.S. intelligence officials got mired for nearly 10 hours seeking approval to use wiretaps against al Qaeda terrorists suspected of kidnapping Queens soldier Alex Jimenez in Iraq earlier this year, The Post has learned.

This week, Congress plans to vote on a bill that leaves in place the legal hurdles in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act - problems that were highlighted during the May search for a group of kidnapped U.S. soldiers.

A search to rescue the men was quickly launched. But it soon ground to a halt as lawyers - obeying strict U.S. laws about surveillance - cobbled together the legal grounds for wiretapping the suspected kidnappers.

For an excruciating nine hours and 38 minutes, searchers in Iraq waited as U.S. lawyers discussed legal issues and hammered out the "probable cause" necessary for the attorney general to grant such "emergency" permission.

Finally, approval was granted and, at 7:38 that night, surveillance began.

"The intelligence community was forced to abandon our soldiers because of the law," a senior congressional staffer with access to the classified case told The Post.

"How many lawyers does it take to rescue our soldiers?" he asked. "It should be zero."

[Skooz]

bump bump bump

[Sandy]

"The FISA law applies even to a cellphone conversation between two people in Iraq, because those communications zip along wires through U.S. hubs, which is where the taps are typically applied."

That statement is not true. At the time this article was written, FISA didn't apply to foreign communications. The writer doesn't know what he's talking about.

[Doctor Raoul]

Get over yourself Sweetie Cups.

[highlander_UW]

The safety of our troops, and all Americans for that matter, is diminished as long as democrats hold positions of power. This will not be the last solider democrats will kill.

[AprilfromTexas]

I agree

[AprilfromTexas]

Sounds like the clinton admin (didn’t something similiar happen in the movie about John O’Neill?), I wonder if it’s the same set of folks. If so, they need to be replaced.

[FlingWingFlyer]

God bless this soldier whose own countrymen let him down.

[mojito]

What friggin’ moron ever thought that lawyers should be in control of events in a war zone!? If you put lawyers in a room anywhere under any circumstances it will take them ten hour to reach an agreement. That's fine, I guess, if we're talking about financing for municipal bonds.

On the battlefield it's a recipe for disaster.

[Dave346]

This restriction of foreign to foreign wiretaps if the communications passes through US territory is from a July 2007 ruling by a FISA judge. It is a really stupid ruling and it is costing us a lot of valuable intelligence (including in this case).
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/foreign_intelligence_surveillance_act_fisa/index.html

[RadioCirca1970]

DUmmies rejoice every time, justice enables our enemies...
they sicken me to the core.

[Mr. Silverback]

Your post is like what I'd find in the dumpster behind Tavern on the Green: First class garbage.

These days conservatives seem as infected with BDS as the libs ever were.

[RadioCirca1970]

BodyCount is the sacrament of the hateful religion known as liberalism...whether its soldiers killed in action, innocents killed by abortion or folks killed by dirtbags, just because the victim lived in a ‘gun free zone...” All in all, when innocents die, libs do an endzone dance...

Remember it was Gephardt who rejoiced at Enron’s collapse...meaning seats for dems...they love when we take a hit...

[muawiyah]

And, Alter, no doubt there's something not spoken of in the news article that led the NSA attornies to conclude FISA did control this situation.

That, of course, would be that the "other end" of the communication was in the US, involved American citizens, and those citizens were in a position to know to complain on the floor of Congress the next day.

This is why we have to begin as soon as possible to round up and detain all Democrat politicians for the duration.

[AmericaUnite]

Bump.

[STARWISE]

BTTT!

Whatever all the facts are, this is truly despicable.
Needs to get out to Hannity, Rush, Mark, Bill O.

[Lancey Howard]

Your post is like what I'd find in the dumpster behind Tavern on the Green: First class garbage.

Why don't you set yourself up next to these guys and let the rats have their way with you, too?

[Lancey Howard]

What friggin’ moron ever thought that lawyers should be in control of events in a war zone!?

That would be the Commander-in-Chief, George W. Bush.

[Mr. Silverback]

Bump for later response.

[Mr. Silverback]

If BDS sufferers like yourself were correct about the President's "cowardice," we would already have been defeated in Iraq.

I have a product to offer you, too. Either of the ones in the bottom row should be a big help.

It should even cure your BDS.

[Lancey Howard]

As far as your lame attempts at wit, keep your day job.
You’re an enabler.