[thoughtomator]

When you find the phone number on a terrorist's cell phone records the search is no longer unreasonable.

Where were these critics when Hillary made off with 800 FBI files of US citizens (officeholders no less), not in a time of war, and in direct contravention to explict laws forbidding such access?

[TheDon]

The author spends 90% of the article discussing the wrong case, i.e. the need for warrants for domestic crimes. At the very end of the article the author finally gets around to discussing the need for warrants for foreign enemies operating on our soil in a time of war. Of course, "domestic" spying fits the Rats meme.

[Man50D]

Thirty-five years ago, President Richard Nixon claimed constitutional authority to wiretap Americans' phone calls to protect national security without asking a judge -- the same assertion that President Bush is making today in the name of fighting terrorism. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously against Nixon, saying the Constitution granted the powers he was claiming to judges, not presidents. If the current court eventually reconsiders that 1972 ruling, it may affect the fate of Bush's decision to authorize the National Security Agency to wiretap calls between Americans and alleged al Qaeda suspects in foreign countries. Presidents have approved wiretaps without court orders since the 1940s, but the legality of the practice was thrown into doubt after the Supreme Court ruled in 1967 that electronic eavesdropping was a search, and thus covered by the prohibition on unreasonable searches in the Constitution's Fourth Amendment.

One little factoid left out of this article is that this applies to civil matters not enemy combatants during a time of war. We are at war. The Constitution does not apply to enemies who seek our destruction.

[claptrap]

They can listen to whatever they want whenever they want,
as far as Im concerned.

[Waco]

Yes, IF, HER name is Clinton!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

If President Bush wants to listen in on any of my phone conversations, I suggest he tune in around 6pm on any Friday night. We'll either be ordering pizza or Chinese food, and we can order extra for he and Laura. Y'all come!

And my Mom usually calls me to complain about her life between 9 and 10 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Sometimes Saturdays, if she wants me to take her to the grocery store. And I just want to state for the record that I have absolutely NO problem wearing a wire when I'm with her...

Oh, and my library card access number is 29405004999677 and the PIN is 3424 if that helps keep us all safe. ;)

(Just how retarded are the Dims? Their mental illness and paranoia knows no bounds.)

[jamaksin]

Lest we forget ... there was a FL couple would listened and recorded a cellular phone conversation with Newt and ...

That recording made its way to a US Congressman from Washington State who gave it to the press.

Ain't no buddy went to jail over that ... Nothing there ... move along. A felony was very loose under l'Reno.

[lepton]

In defense of its conduct, the administration submitted a sworn statement in 1971 from Mitchell saying agents needed to conduct the surveillance to protect the nation from "attempts of domestic organizations to attack and subvert the existing structure of the government.''

Whereas the current monitoring of signals is in regards FOREIGN organizations, and further that the communications are leaving the country...or do you have something new?

[joseph20]

Can the president eavesdrop on private citizens without a judge's ok?

If you collaborate with terrorists, then you are no longer considered a "United States person". You are considered an "Agent of a foreign power", as defined under Section 1801, subsection(b)(2)(C).

[jerry639]

Can the president eavesdrop on private citizens without a judge's ok?

The reporter is kidding. Right? He and I both know that the President doesn't have the time to listen in on the conversations of private citizens.

[Tatze]

To answer the question, if time is of the utmost importance, than conduct the wiretap, and get the warrant within 72 hours (which I believe is the FISA law). If time isn't important, than get the warrant. I don't believe in warrantless wiretaps, just like I didn't believe in warrantless searches when Clinton was approving them.

But any US citizen or resident receiving phone calls from Al Qaeda satellite phones better damn well have their phones tapped pretty damn quick.