Bush Caves To The Left, Again!

[RED]

Well, I guess you've all heard that Bush has caved on the NSA wiretapping controversy. The WhiteHouse has given the controversy to judged by an independent panel, the FISA court, to ascertain whether wiretapping Al Queda operatives in overseas calls is legal. Do I detect more groveling going on?

If that's not PC enough, Bush is going to side with leftists and acknowledge the existence of man-made climate change. Bush will legitimize the leftist kooks no matter how many conservatives he has to screw over. :flame:

[Lazarus]

Its a brave new world since the Dems won Congress...:rolleyes:

Bush wants his Mexican Legalization Bill passed - It is his personal agenda - His baby... And I really dont think there is much of anything he wont give the Dems to get that legistlation passed up to his desk... His pen aches to sign it into law...

If the Dems know this, get ready - there will be no limits to how far they will push their agenda...

[CountryGent]

I simply do not understand the President anymore. The man is at the pinnacle of his political career and there is no need for him to pander nor concede to the Leftist Moonbats IMO......He should know that to give them an inch will only encourage them to take a mile. And they will still hate him regardless. :sad::sad:

[Lazarus]

I simply do not understand the President anymore..... :sad::sad:The answer is simple... refer to my previous post... Its all about his baby... The moment it is passed and on his desk, the pandering will stop - you'll be able to set your watch by it...

[Naturalized-Texan]

But the FISA Court of Review has already ruled that warrantless NSA surveillance of enemy communications is constitutional. Moreover, it has always been my understanding that the NSA surveillance program was already under the jurisdiction of the FISA Court:

It’s Legal: The solid legal basis for the administration's surveillance program (http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=Y2FjZTQzNjUzOTUzMzgwODQ3ZjEyNWE5OWJmYTU4ZTA=)

In its opinion, the Court of Review said the FISA Court had, in effect, attempted to unilaterally impose the old 1995 rules. "In doing so, the FISA Court erred," the ruling read. "It did not provide any constitutional basis for its action—we think there is none—and misconstrued the main statutory provision on which it relied." The FISA Court, according to the ruling, "refus[ed] to consider the legal significance of the Patriot Act's crucial amendments" and "may well have exceeded the constitutional bounds" governing the courts by asserting "authority to govern the internal organization and investigative procedures of the Department of Justice."

And then the Court of Review did one more thing, something that has repercussions in today's surveillance controversy. Not only could the FISA Court not tell the president how do to his work, the Court of Review said, but the president also had the "inherent authority" under the Constitution to conduct needed surveillance without obtaining any warrant—from the FISA Court or anyone else. Referring to an earlier case, known as Truong, which dealt with surveillance before FISA was passed, the Court of Review wrote: "The Truong court, as did all the other courts to have decided the issue, held that the President did have inherent authority to conduct warrantless searches to obtain foreign intelligence information. . . . We take for granted that the President does have that authority and, assuming that is so, FISA could not encroach on the President's constitutional power."

It was a clear and sweeping statement of executive authority. And what was most likely not known to the Court of Review at the time was that the administration had, in 2002, started a program in which it did exactly what the Court of Review said it had the power to do: order the surveillance of some international communications without a warrant.

[RED]

I simply do not understand the President anymore. The man is at the pinnacle of his political career and there is no need for him to pander nor concede to the Leftist Moonbats IMO......He should know that to give them an inch will only encourage them to take a mile. And they will still hate him regardless. :sad::sad:

Unfortunately for us, the pinnacle of Bush's career was the day before he nominated Harriet Meirs for the Supreme Court. It's been a roller-coaster ride straight down since then. Bush is oblivious to his conservative base because he was never a conservative.

[Rhino]

But the FISA Court of Review has already ruled that warrantless NSA surveillance of enemy communications is constitutional. Moreover, it has always been my understanding that the NSA surveillance program was already under the jurisdiction of the FISA Court:It was, and it is. This is just a procedural change. The FISA court procedures previously made it too onerous to use them to approve every wiretap, and there were major security concerns, but they altered their procedures on Jan 10th. The new procedures make the process acceptable to the administration for approving wiretaps, hence the decision not to reauthorize the Terrorist Surveillance Program. Bush didn't cave to the left. The court caved to administration demands. As usual, don't trust the media to give you the whole truth.

[RED]

But the FISA Court of Review has already ruled that warrantless NSA surveillance of enemy communications is constitutional. Moreover, it has always been my understanding that the NSA surveillance program was already under the jurisdiction of the FISA Court:

It’s Legal: The solid legal basis for the administration's surveillance program (http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=Y2FjZTQzNjUzOTUzMzgwODQ3ZjEyNWE5OWJmYTU4ZTA=)

I heard it on Rush's show today. Rush was quite disappointed about it and questioned why the President did it. Some way, some how, Bush has put the legality of the issue up for some committee to rule on. He said, the FISA court.

[Lazarus]

Unfortunately for us, the pinnacle of Bush's career was the day before he nominated Harriet Meirs for the Supreme Court. It's been a roller-coaster ride straight down since then. Bush is oblivious to his conservative base because he was never a conservative.A very astute observation...

[The Barbarian]

Amen. Bush has no principles but expediency. No conservative. Never has been.

[Rhino]

Secret Court to Monitor Domestic Spying Program

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration has agreed to let a secret but independent panel of federal judges oversee the government's controversial domestic spying program, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

In a letter to the leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court will have final say in approving wiretaps placed on people with suspected terror links.

"Any electronic surveillance that was occurring as part of the Terrorist Surveillance Program will now be conducted subject to the approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court," Gonzales wrote in the two-page letter to Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Arlen Specter, R-Pa.

"Accordingly, under these circumstances, the President has determined not to reauthorize the Terrorist Surveillance Program when the current authorization expires," the attorney general wrote....

....The White House said it is satisfied with new guidelines the FISA court adopted on Jan. 10 to address administration officials' concerns about national security.....http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,244243,00.html

[Naturalized-Texan]

It was, and it is. This is just a procedural change. The FISA court procedures previously made it too onerous to use them to approve every wiretap, and there were major security concerns, but they altered their procedures on Jan 10th. The new procedures make the process acceptable to the administration for approving wiretaps, hence the decision not to reauthorize the Terrorist Surveillance Program. Bush didn't cave to the left. The court caved to administration demands. As usual, don't trust the media to give you the whole truth.Emphasis added.

To those of you who allowed themselves to be misled by the media, please read and re-read sentences in bold in the above quote from Rhino as well as the article Rhino linked to in his next post and the article I link to below:

Bush won't reauthorize eavesdropping (http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2007-01-17T204435Z_01_N17341517_RTRUKOC_0_US-SURVEILLANCE-BUSH.xml&src=rss&rpc=22)

"Any electronic surveillance that was occurring as part of the Terrorist Surveillance Program will now be conducted subject to the approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court," Gonzales said.

Gonzales said a judge on the secret FISA court recently approved a government proposal allowing it to target communications into and out of the United States when probable cause exists that one person is a member of al Qaeda or an associated terrorist organization.

He reiterated the administration's position that the surveillance program has been legal, but said the government will now have the ability to act with sufficient "speed and agility."

White House spokesman Tony Snow said the new rules approved by the court addressed administration concerns.

"The president will not reauthorize the present program because the new rules will serve as guideposts," Snow said.

In other words, nothing changes. NSA surveillance of enemy communications will continue.

[CountryGent]

In other words, nothing changes. NSA surveillance of enemy communications will continue.That gives a little comfort.........:biggrin:

[Naturalized-Texan]

That gives a little comfort.........:biggrin:
Yeah! But we still need to do more.

[Lubbock]

Some of you guya are gonna have to quit falling for every Blaring Headline from the LeftStreamMedia that you see.

I know when I saw the streaming Bush Caves To The Left, Again! that it was wrong.

[RED]

Some of you guya are gonna have to quit falling for every Blaring Headline from the LeftStreamMedia that you see.

I know when I saw the streaming Bush Caves To The Left, Again! that it was wrong.


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=502 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; PADDING-TOP: 2px; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat-y" vAlign=top width="100%">President Gives Up On Terrorist Surveillance Act</TD></TR><TR><TD width=1 height=3></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width="100%">January 17, 2007</TD></TR><TR><TD width=1 height=3></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=486>
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_011707/content/bigmistake.Par.0001.ImageFile.gif (http://mfile.akamai.com/5020/wma/rushlimb.download.akamai.com/5020/clips/07/01/011707_14_terrorist_surveillance.asx)

</TD></TR><TR><TD>http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/0.gif</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><A id=0002><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=502 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=1 height=3></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=486>RUSH: Snerdley, Cookie, I need to find something. I was just told by an audience member, the top-of-the-hour news, that the president has said that some independent body will now decide on whether or not we have the -- if I understand this, an independent body will now decide whether we have the constitutional authority, the president has the constitutional authority to intercept phone calls from terrorists overseas to Americans in this country and vice-versa. Terrorists here, whoever is contacting terrorists. You know, the NSA, the so-called domestic spying thing.

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_011707/content/bigmistake.Par.0002.ImageFile.jpg Now, I just got a brief blurb of this, going to try to track down the story because I haven't seen it yet. If, with a capital I and a capital F, if this is true, this is inexplicable to me if some independent body, like blue ribbon -- think 9/11 Commission, think independent blue ribbon commission is now going to decide whether or not there's the authority to do these intercepts, the president is participating in weakening his own authority to act as commander-in-chief and to takes steps to protect the country from future attack. Regardless, if this is true, this won't be good enough for the libs. I should refrain from comment until I get the actual details because I'm acting on very, very sketchy information. I'll get the information to you and the details as soon as I can track it down.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Ladies and gentlemen, it's true (http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/michigan/index.ssf?/base/news-40/1169066345128820.xml&storylist=newsmichigan). “The Bush administration has agreed to let a secret but independent panel of federal judges oversee the government's controversial domestic spying program, the Justice Department said Wednesday. In a letter to the leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court –“ wonderful, “--and that it already has approved one request for monitoring the communications of a person—“ This is pathetic! Pardon my anger. I spent the whole year last year saying this wasn't necessary. The administration said it wasn't necessary. It isn't necessary; now all of a sudden we're going to do it. This is weakening presidential authority. Throwing all this to the FISA court? The FISA court is going to delay all this. It’s all about warrantless wiretaps of known terrorists. I can't tell you how frustrating this is. Just cave to every damn thing the liberals want. Let's just get it done with it so we can start fresh. Just throw everybody to hell and start rebuilding from there. Give 'em everything they want, Mr. President. It still isn't going to make 'em happy. This isn't going to make 'em happy. This is blood in the water. All this is going to do is embolden them. This frosts me.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT</TD></TR><TR><TD>http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/0.gif</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=502 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=1 height=3></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=486>RUSH: You know, I blew my top here a moment ago when the news hit that the president was going to turn over the intercepts, the wireless intercepts to the FISA court, thereby surrendering more presidential authority, and it's not going to make the libs happy. But I remembered my own theory that I posited mere days ago, and that is that the Bush administration might possibly just be clearing the decks of every major fight, other than stem cells. They're not fighting anything, not fighting minimum wage, not fighting anything, get this off the table, too, except Iraq.

The NSA decision and turning it over to FISA court, the libs can stop bickering about it all. It won't stop 'em. It's just going to be blood in the water. But the president wants Iraq to be the only thing we're arguing about because he knows that's a weak point for the Democrats. At any rate, that's just a theory. It's a hopeful theory. It's grasping at straws, and it's probably all wet.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[CountryGent]

Some of you guya are gonna have to quit falling for every Blaring Headline from the LeftStreamMedia that you see.

I know when I saw the streaming Bush Caves To The Left, Again! that it was wrong.

If dat's de case how come ya didn't say sumpin and save us all a bunch of grief? You ain't a flatlander are ya?:biggrin:

[Lubbock]

Flatlander?

Have you ever been to Lubbock, Texas?

I can look out my frontdoor and see all the way to Kansas.

Heck, we've even got a town out here called Levelland.
.
.
.
.
EDIT: Contrary to what Rush would have you believe, he don't always hit the mark, either.

[omegatrump]

Bush does want to dissolve Americas borders (his immigration bill etc), he is not now nor has he ever been a conservative. He now has his true party in power, he'll be able to do some real damage before he leaves office and Hitlery takes over.

[RED]

EDIT: Contrary to what Rush would have you believe, he don't always hit the mark, either.

Oh, I don't know about that. Is Rush lying to gratuitously criticize the Prez? I'll go with Rush on this one. He's just being kind to Bush right now. He has to be. I don't. Maybe he'll be a little more blunt when Bush gets with his DIMocrat friends and signs the open border amnesty bill he wants so much. :sad:

[Naturalized-Texan]

Rush was reacting before the facts that Rhino and I posted. In other words, he didn't know the whole story.

[Naturalized-Texan]

Heck, we've even got a town out here called Levelland.
Is that anywhere near No Trees, Texas?

[Kathy30]

Doesn't this fall right in line with the Fed Judge vacating the sentence of the Millinium Bomber?

It's a good day for Al Quaeda.

[Lubbock]

NO TREES

Ector County, West Texas
Hwy 302
21 miles NW of Odessa
21 miles E of Kermit via 302
Population : 338

In an oilfield between Kermit and Wink was where I rode my first Pump Jack. A dangerous thing. I would have a heart attack if I thought one of my grandkids was going to attempt it today.

[RED]

Rush was reacting before the facts that Rhino and I posted. In other words, he didn't know the whole story.

I'm sure he'll bring it up tomorrow. If he made a mistake, you know as well as I, he'll receive a mountain of E-mails by then and will clarify the situation. :D

[Naturalized-Texan]

NO TREES

Ector County, West Texas
Hwy 302
21 miles NW of Odessa
21 miles E of Kermit via 302
Population : 338

In an oilfield between Kermit and Wink was where I rode my first Pump Jack. A dangerous thing. I would have a heart attack if I thought one of my grandkids was going to attempt it today.



A friend and co-worker from years back lived in the No Trees Humble Camp when he was in high school. Since his father was an oil field worker, my friend told me that he went to something like 16 different schools growing up and as I remember he ended up graduating from Big Spring High School.

[Seabee]

President Bush seems to not only want to follow in his father's footsteps but ten up him on caving to the Democrats.

[Rhino]

I'm sure he'll bring it up tomorrow. If he made a mistake, you know as well as I, he'll receive a mountain of E-mails by then and will clarify the situation. :DI think he still won't like it. I don't really like it either. It's just another bureaucratic hurdle in the process to make it more inefficient. However, it is certainly not the surrender it was originally depicted to be. That was the point I was making.

[RED]

I think he still won't like it. I don't really like it either. It's just another bureaucratic hurdle in the process to make it more inefficient. However, it is certainly not the surrender it was originally depicted to be. That was the point I was making.

Yes it's true. It is a step backwards, capitulating to the left. Semantics? This is just a preview of things to come. :sad:

[Maggie_T]

I simply do not understand the President anymore. :sad::sad:

Neither do I, Gent. I hate to say this because I worked for both his election campaigns, but I won't be sorry to see the back of him.

Since 2004, he's done nothing but let me down.