Specter Prejudges Bush Over NSA
Posted on February 5, 2006
Hat tip: Junkyard Blog
Later today the hearings will begin to determine whether President Bush broke the law by authorizing the NSA to spy on international calls to terrorists. Isn’t it a tad bit irresponsible that the man who will chair these hearings has went on National television and announced that he already thinks Bush is guilty?
The Republican who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee said today that he believed the Bush administration had violated the law with its warrantless surveillance program and that its legal justifications for the program were “strained and unrealistic.”
The program “is in flat violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act,” said the chairman, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, who will open committee hearings on Monday.
Quite ridiculous.
The fact is that the historic and legal case for the president’s position is overwhelming. From the Constitution itself, numerous court decisions and Office of Legal Counsel opinions, to prior executive orders issued by presidents of both parties and the conduct of such presidents as Lincoln and FDR during war-time, to assert that the president’s position is “strained and unrealistic” is nuts. And if, as Specter proclaims, the president is “in flat violation” of FISA, then it is FISA that is unconstitutional and Congress that is acting without authority.
Indeed.
Meanwhile Newsweek questions the legality of whether or not Bush can kill a terrorist.
» Filed Under News, War On Terror
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4 Responses to “Specter Prejudges Bush Over NSA”
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I hope you will explain why John Ashcroft, James Comey and Jack Goldsmith — none of whom are remotely liberal — all agreed with Specter that the program was prohibited by FISA.
Are you a conservative, or a “anything Bush does is alright” apologist?
Sen. Specter has his own problems. He keeps responding to Microsoft lobbyists and trying to introduce legislation for 300,000 new H visas to let in more foreign programmers, etc.
And, as pointed out he has already made up his mind. Why have a hearing to determine the “facts” when your mind is already made up. Vanity, face time on national TV? My God, you don’t think he has higher ambitions than the Senate do you?
If he had said it was A-OK, that wouldn’t be prejudging.
Arlen Specter introduced the legislation making it illegal to be annoying on the Internet.
I am proposing legislation making it illegal for legislators to be annoying.