Friday, February 10, 2006
Incredible One-Day Story with Super-Collosal Legs...
During the last couple of days, we have learned the president ordered snooping of Americans outside the law because Congress authorized the president to go after the guys that attacked us on 9/11 and with that authorization, FISA was trumped. At least that's the company line.
Many Republicans have expressed grave doubt that the law did any such thing; but to strike back, the president and his minions keep repeating over and over again, "We are the law."
In the latest mutation to justify the indefensible, the president added the extra weight of yet more lies. He is now telling the nation how by violating the law, he saved thousands, yes thousands of American lives.
In Bush-land's alternative world, would-be terrorists, henceforth dubbed would-be-shoe-bombers, were stopped from carrying out their evil plan through use of illegal wiretapping; and if these agents of terror had not been stopped, somehow they would have commandeered an airplane to LA and "steer[ed] a plane" smack into Freedom Tower, er, I mean Library Tower.
Earth to Bush, the Washington Post has reported that "several U.S. intelligence officials played down the relative importance of the alleged plot and attributed the timing of Bush's speech to politics."
Hmm...the siren song of mass devastation is truly wearing thin. Didn't the administration only a few months ago also claim the Patriot Act had single-handedly foiled numerous terrorist attacks on the mainland?
Yes, boys and girls, there is a terrorist Santa Claus; and every time the administration finds themselves in a pickle, he drops of his goody bag of snake oil.
So far, the polls are evenly split on whether the administration was justified to eavesdrop. The president has pushed hard to frame the issue as one of national security with mixed success. But with hearings this week and almost half of the Republican senators on the Judiciary Committee questioning the practice, Democrats and some Republicans are offering to amend the law so the White House can have whatever flexibility it needs and still maintain their constitutional balance of power.
This coming Sunday, Americans will have a chance to hear the arguments from the perspective of leaders who were informed by the Bush administration about the illegal wiretapping; and hopefully, Democrats will be able to point out that the issue is not about fighting the war on terror, but fighting for the rule of law.
"Meet the Press" is devoting its entire hour with Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, a Bush loyalist and mouthpiece, former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle as well as the leaders of House Intelligence Committee, Chairman Peter Hoekstra of Michigan and Ranking Member Jane Harman of California.
A press release by "Meet the Press" promises viewers that "[t]he foursome will discuss the controversy over the constitutional, legal and political ramifications of the domestic surveillance program."
In spite of what the White House may have wished, this one-day story remains very much alive and keeps on going and going like a Bunny superfly leaping over a pile of dung; and the stench from the dung is so far-reaching that it now threatens to gag the olfactory sensitivities of team-Bush and his media mates.
I hope Democrats find the opportunity to drop names like Libby, Katrina and Brownie, as well as terms like pre-war intelligence fiasco and presidential overreach. As we head into mid-term elections, Democrats must make the case that a rubber stamped feckless Congress failed to hold the administration accountable for their numerous missteps and horrors.
During the last couple of days, we have learned the president ordered snooping of Americans outside the law because Congress authorized the president to go after the guys that attacked us on 9/11 and with that authorization, FISA was trumped. At least that's the company line.
Many Republicans have expressed grave doubt that the law did any such thing; but to strike back, the president and his minions keep repeating over and over again, "We are the law."
In the latest mutation to justify the indefensible, the president added the extra weight of yet more lies. He is now telling the nation how by violating the law, he saved thousands, yes thousands of American lives.
In Bush-land's alternative world, would-be terrorists, henceforth dubbed would-be-shoe-bombers, were stopped from carrying out their evil plan through use of illegal wiretapping; and if these agents of terror had not been stopped, somehow they would have commandeered an airplane to LA and "steer[ed] a plane" smack into Freedom Tower, er, I mean Library Tower.
Earth to Bush, the Washington Post has reported that "several U.S. intelligence officials played down the relative importance of the alleged plot and attributed the timing of Bush's speech to politics."
The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to publicly criticize the White House, said there is deep disagreement within the intelligence community over the seriousness of the Library Tower scheme and whether it was ever much more than talk.Only a few weeks ago, the administration was claiming an attack on the Brooklyn Bridge through use of a blowtorch was scorched. The media by way of New York Times duly noted, however, that FBI officials said the "case...was not connected to the spying operations."
Hmm...the siren song of mass devastation is truly wearing thin. Didn't the administration only a few months ago also claim the Patriot Act had single-handedly foiled numerous terrorist attacks on the mainland?
Yes, boys and girls, there is a terrorist Santa Claus; and every time the administration finds themselves in a pickle, he drops of his goody bag of snake oil.
So far, the polls are evenly split on whether the administration was justified to eavesdrop. The president has pushed hard to frame the issue as one of national security with mixed success. But with hearings this week and almost half of the Republican senators on the Judiciary Committee questioning the practice, Democrats and some Republicans are offering to amend the law so the White House can have whatever flexibility it needs and still maintain their constitutional balance of power.
This coming Sunday, Americans will have a chance to hear the arguments from the perspective of leaders who were informed by the Bush administration about the illegal wiretapping; and hopefully, Democrats will be able to point out that the issue is not about fighting the war on terror, but fighting for the rule of law.
"Meet the Press" is devoting its entire hour with Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, a Bush loyalist and mouthpiece, former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle as well as the leaders of House Intelligence Committee, Chairman Peter Hoekstra of Michigan and Ranking Member Jane Harman of California.
A press release by "Meet the Press" promises viewers that "[t]he foursome will discuss the controversy over the constitutional, legal and political ramifications of the domestic surveillance program."
In spite of what the White House may have wished, this one-day story remains very much alive and keeps on going and going like a Bunny superfly leaping over a pile of dung; and the stench from the dung is so far-reaching that it now threatens to gag the olfactory sensitivities of team-Bush and his media mates.
I hope Democrats find the opportunity to drop names like Libby, Katrina and Brownie, as well as terms like pre-war intelligence fiasco and presidential overreach. As we head into mid-term elections, Democrats must make the case that a rubber stamped feckless Congress failed to hold the administration accountable for their numerous missteps and horrors.
// posted by Howling Latina @ 3:15 PM 
