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Sen. Roberts Wants to Protect President, Not the Rest of Us

By TChris, Section Civil Liberties
Posted on Fri Feb 17, 2006 at 05:36:48 AM EST
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by TChris

Rather than investigating the scope and targets of the NSA's domestic surveillance program, Senate Republicans seem inclined to amend the law to give the president broader power to spy on Americans.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said the committee decided not to vote on whether to open an investigation after the White House agreed to give lawmakers more information on the program and agreed to changes to the current law, according to Roberts and White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino.

In December, two Intelligence Committee Republicans -- Olympia Snowe of Maine and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska -- joined Democrats in calling for a congressional investigation of the NSA program. Thursday, they voted to forestall hearings in favor of developing White House-backed legislation establishing clearer rules for the controversial program. Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, is drafting legislation that would exempt the NSA program from the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act but limit eavesdropping to international calls.

The NY Times asks: "Is there any aspect of President Bush's miserable record on intelligence that Senator Pat Roberts, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is not willing to excuse and help to cover up?"

Some Republicans may resist the gutting of FISA.

[S]everal key Republicans, including House Intelligence Committee member Rep Heather Wilson of New Mexico and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, say the NSA program should fall under FISA guidelines.

Of course it should. Making an international call isn't a sign of criminal activity, and the executive branch of government shouldn't be allowed to listen to those calls on a whim, with no judicial authorization. The Times again:

FISA does not in any way prevent Mr. Bush from spying on Qaeda members or other terrorists. The last thing the nation needs is to amend the law to institutionalize the imperial powers Mr. Bush seized after 9/11.

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    • Sen. Roberts Wants to Protect President, Not the Rest of Us | 6 comments (6 topical)
    Re: Sen. Roberts Wants to Protect President, Not t (none / 0) (#1)
    by roxtar on Fri Feb 17, 2006 at 06:29:30 AM EST
    "Is there any aspect of President Bush's miserable record on intelligence that Senator Pat Roberts, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is not willing to excuse and help to cover up?" Why, no. As a matter of fact, there isn't.

    Re: Sen. Roberts Wants to Protect President, Not t (none / 0) (#2)
    by mjvpi on Fri Feb 17, 2006 at 08:17:24 AM EST
    He is trying to kill the Phase II pre-war intell report as well! God Damn it, Toto. We are still in Kansas!

    Re: Sen. Roberts Wants to Protect President, Not t (none / 0) (#3)
    by Edger on Fri Feb 17, 2006 at 08:27:10 AM EST
    Senate Republicans seem inclined to amend the law to give the president broader power to spy on Americans. But he's not breaking the law now is he? So why amend it? Ummmm... well... uhhh... Give us awhile... we'll think of something here... I think... Won't we? ^^ OO

    Re: Sen. Roberts Wants to Protect President, Not t (none / 0) (#4)
    by Steven Sanderson on Fri Feb 17, 2006 at 10:11:22 AM EST
    In the '50's and '60's right-wingers incessantly railed against the evils of communism which included omnipresent spying on the citizenry, including urging children to turn their parents in to the authorities for various "crimes." One John Bircher in my community would glower at us, lower his voice, and knowingly inform us that the Russians didn't have perforated paper so they had to use the back of their hand. I'm grateful that none of this could ever happen here in the good old US of A.

    Re: Sen. Roberts Wants to Protect President, Not t (none / 0) (#6)
    by john horse on Sat Feb 18, 2006 at 03:18:04 AM EST
    The GOP is hoping that if a Bush administration scandal occurs and the GOP controlled Congress doesn't make a sound, the American public will not know about it (hear it). By the way, I noted that the two "moderate" GOP Senators, Snowe and Hagel, voted Thursday to forestall hearings (they were for them before they were against them). The whole GOP party is a profile in cowardice and corruption.

    Re: Sen. Roberts Wants to Protect President, Not t (none / 0) (#7)
    by Edger on Sat Feb 18, 2006 at 04:23:55 AM EST
    Curious. No trolls here. No talking points till the Monday programming sessions? Jeeze, and I thought the NSA could just beam it into their fillings by now...

    Sen. Roberts Wants to Protect President, Not the Rest of Us | 6 comments (6 topical)