With the House moving toward a vote on electronic surveillance legislation that the White House has said falls far short of its requirements, President Bush warned legislators strongly Thursday morning against passing what he called “a partisan bill that will undermine American security.”
In clear defiance of the White House, the proposal from House Democratic leaders would not give retroactive legal protection to the phone companies that helped in the National Security Agency program of warrantless wiretapping. Mr. Bush also threatened to veto any such measure, should it reach his desk. The Senate last month passed a bill that did provide such protection and also broadened government eavesdropping powers. Administration officials say that the Democrats know that the House version would face probable defeat in the Senate. But House Democratic leaders have shown themselves more ready than in the past for a fight on national security.
Using tough language on a subject on which he has been persistent and unswerving, Mr. Bush warned House members that “they should not leave for Easter recess without getting the Senate bill to my desk.” He argued that failure to pass the Senate language would make it harder to detect emerging terrorist threats. “Voting for this bill would make our country less safe,” Mr. Bush said. “Congress should stop playing politics with the past and focus on helping us prevent attacks in the future.”
Democrats have accused the president of fear-mongering, saying surveillance can be monitored more carefully without losing its effectiveness…
…I know what we’re all doing. We’re focusing on the minor differences between Hillary and Obama; we’re gearing up to watch John Adams on T.V.; we’re pigging out on Eliot Spitzer; hell, I even watched Oprah today. Anything to make it easier to endure the 312 more days of the Bush Administration. In this report, Bush says the House is passing a “a partisan bill that will undermine American security” because it "would not give retroactive legal protection to the phone companies that helped in the National Security Agency program of warrantless wiretapping." How does that undermine National Security? Absolutely absurd. All it undermines is Bush’s [and anybody else’s] ability to con people into doing what he wants. Covering President George W. Bush’s hindside is not the job of Congress.
It’s the kind of crap that got us here in the first place. The Axis of Evil, WMD’s, Hussein’s ties to Al Qaeda, Mission Accomplished, the Surge, blah blah blah. Will we ever believe another politician in the future in this country? Maybe not. Yesterday, Bush was trying to make binding agreements with Iraqis for our endless occupation. The Pentagon Report definitively debunking the Al Qaeda/Hussein ties was not released. The Attorney General refuses to enforce Congressional Contempt charges. No wonder I’m having trouble blogging. No wonder I’m watching Oprah. No wonder we’re obsessed with the Governor of New York that most of us barely knew. Anything but listen to the White House make a mockery of the country we all love.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.