President Bush, brushing aside bipartisan criticism in Congress, said today he approved spying on suspected terrorists without court orders because it was "a necessary part of my job to protect" Americans from attack.
The president said he would continue the program "for so long as the nation faces the continuing threat of an enemy that wants to kill American citizens," and added it included safeguards to protect civil
liberties.Bush bristled at a year-end news conference when asked whether there are any limits on presidential power in wartime.
"I just described limits on this particular program, and that's what's important for the American people to understand," Bush said.
Raising his voice, Bush challenged Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton — without naming them — to allow a final vote on legislation renewing the anti-terror Patriot Act. "I want senators from New York or Los Angeles or Las Vegas to go home and explain why these cities are safer" without the extension, he said.
Ah yes, having a president trot out the tried and true "tiger repellant" fallacy never ceases to amuse.
I have to read the transcripts of these rare "press conferences" because it honestly pains me to hear the man speak. Unlike some, I don't liken it to the feeling when the slow kid gets up to speak in front of the class, but rather the sensation you have when the popular kid who didn't bother to read the assigment tries to bullshit his way through the oral part of the final exam. With the slow kid, at least you feel pity. In Bush's case, it's naked disgust, and an increasing sense of bewilderment that anyone voted for the man in the first place.
Reid represents Nevada; Clinton is a New York senator, and both helped block passage of the legislation in the Senate last week.
"In a war on terror we cannot afford to be without this law for a single moment," Bush said.
And another thing; it's telling how all the accounts of Bush's speech use terms like "bristling" and "angry" and "raising his voice." The temerity of those Senators and reporters to point out to him that bypassing the FISA and ignoring the checks and balances in place might, golly, violate the Constitution he claims gives him the authority to conduct domestic surveillance in the first place.
He's just lucky he didn't get caught getting a blow job. Then he might be in some real trouble.
I can understand his anger, though. Imagine being talked into running for President under false pretense, i.e. having the existence of the power-limiting Constitution with its amendments and checks & balances hidden from you up until now. I'd be royally bristled off too.
Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the domestic surveliance program (one which doesn't seem to get much press) are the claims that numerous targets of the domesting spying were US citizens opposed to the war: not suspected terrorists.
Bush is a monarchic tyrant, plain and simple. He TOOK AN OATH TO UPHOLD THE U. S. CONSTITUTION but has subverted or failed to uphold that same document at every opportunity. Article Three, Section Three of the US Constitution states: Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. This man is a traitor with the blood of thousands of Americans, he swore to protect, on his hands.
He failed to protect the American people from terrorism on 9/11. He failed to protect our borders from illegal immigration in order to supply the wealthy (read: business cronies) with a source of cheap, almost slave, labor. Many of these illegal immigrants are criminals who prey upon American citizens. Our president has aided and abetted these same illegals by ignoring them, hampering efforts to arrest them, even excusing them. What would happen if one of us aided and abetted lawbreakers? Bush has continually kissed the asses of oil-rich world leaders, allowing them to rampantly fleece the American people so he and his cronies (read: the oil cartel) can benefit. He has allowed his flunkies to falsify intelligence thereby sacrificing the lives of American men and women to protect American corporate interests in the Middle East, the real reason he invaded Iraq. Doesn't it seem odd that the majority of poor souls who have been beheaded by terrorists are people working for corporations ostensibly helping to rebuild Irag, such as Halliburton, which is VP Cheney's baby? Bush and his cronies are slowly but surely erroding the civil libeties of all American citizens under the noses of and with the compliance of Congress. Bush has persistently, erroneously, underhandedly and lamely tried to draw a connection between 9/11 and Saddam Hussein to jusitfy his invasion of oil-rich Iraq. He allowed his cronies to jeopardize the lives of CIA operatives by outing Valerie Plame. The presidential oath states: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. You have failed to abide by this oath, Mr. Bush!
On the flip side....at least he fucks his wife....in theory. Oh yeah, and he prays. I mean, that does give him some street cred...doesn't it? I mean, I know he's done nothing to stop business from screwing up the environment, f-ed up our foreign relations, gotten us into an unwinnable war, allowed big business to give the american consumer the "big business", broken more civil liberties, and just generally been the biggest fucking disaster of a president we've ever had....but at least he loves his wife and God. That's enough for most of us Texans...right?
Thanks Steve, that's really terrific. I don't understand how ANYONE can fuck Laura Bush. She's scary-looking.
It remains to be seen (aside from his lush daughters) that he fucks his wife. I don't know whatever happened to that story about the gay male prostitute journalist that had TOTAL access to the White House...but Bush has serious daddy issues and we still don't know who the prosty was seeing. Boo-ya!!
And the other f-ed thing about Bush's spying is....was he spying on the Kerry camp? Don't worry though, we'll never know.
I don't know what you guys are talking about. I truthfully believe Laura can get a little inspired dirty when she pushes up those librarian glasses and stares at you with those coal black eyes....longingly. Hey GW sure has nothing to complain about on the nasty front. His father on the other hand.....
So Steve, being manhandled by the Secret Service is nothing new to you? ;)
C'mon, Pete...it's Christmas season. People have more important things to worry about than violation of the first ammendment. There's shopping to do and word has it Nick and Jessica had a "last dinner" the night before Jessica filed divorce papers.
But seriously....America is so consumed by popluar entertainment and gossip, they simply do not care that Bush and his cabal are running rampant and unchecked. If Bush did do something like get a BJ-something that can be made fun of by lowbrow morons and something that *feels* like celebrity gossip- then people will care.
We've just about become Rome and our fall is immenent. As a nation, we're fat, arrogant and stupid.