NSA Collected Phone Records in U.S., Lott Says

[sabra]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aXoEofLLKuUY&refer=us

NSA Collected Phone Records in U.S., Lott Says (Update1)

May 11 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. National Security Agency has obtained the phone records of millions of Americans in an effort to stop terrorists, a Senate Intelligence Committee member confirmed.

News of the program, first reported by USA Today, sparked demands by lawmakers that executives from AT&T Inc., BellSouth Corp. and Verizon Communications Inc. testify before Congress. The disclosure also might make it more difficult for the former NSA chief, Air Force General Michael Hayden, to win confirmation to direct the Central Intelligence Agency.

Senator Trent Lott, a Mississippi Republican, told reporters he was briefed on the program and said the U.S. needs ``to use modern technological tools'' to defeat terrorists. President George W. Bush, while not confirming or denying the effort, defended his administration's spying and said the government isn't ``trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans.''

...

Lott said the story ``undermines'' the program, which he called ``legitimate and legal.''

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. He would.

Why was Lott briefed?

[Fridays Child]

3. Because they've been doing it since before he was dethroned?

Wouldn't surprise me.

[kainah]

14. yeah, that would be right

Lott made his famous comments about Strom Thurmond after the 2002 elections, so if this program was implemented after 9/11, as they say, Lott would have been briefed as minority leader in the Senate. Daschle would have been the sadly-intimidated majority leader at the time.

[rzemanfl]

5. Because Dubyah wants to sit on the porch of his new house. n/t

[ALago1]

2. The "this is to fight terrorism" meme isn't working anymore

I think people are starting to find out that this admin. has been using "terrorism" as a boogeyman to justify doing anything they want to do since the 9/11 attacks happened. Maybe now they'll realize the importance of preserving rights and civil liberties...even through tough times.

[ixion]

4. legitimate and legal my ass

sorry, but that's not accurate at all, Herr Lott.

[oldtime dfl_er]

6. Anyone who thinks this is legal

has to be complicit in it.

http://www.cafepress.com/scarebaby/1094932

[aquart]

7. How many American citizens are suspected terrorists?

A ballpark figure will do. How many of us are considered traitors by this administration?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

17. Anybody opposed to the invasion of Iraq.

I'd be willing to bet.

[BooScout]

8. I guess Lott has never heard of the Bill of Rights?

How much fucking longer is Bush going to get away with taking away every fucking thing that made America a place that people have flocked to since it's inception? God damn it all to hell I am fucking sick of it all.

[sweettater]

9. Re: your last sentence

me too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[B3Nut]

10. Me three!!!!!!!!!!

Dammit! :mad: :mad: :mad: :banghead:

[jimshoes]

11. While I'm sure it's true

that "the government isn't ``trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans" ... I'm also sure that they ARE trolling through the personal lives of millions of other innocent Americans.

[rodeodance]

12. Roberts is now on Dobbs saying it has stopped terrorists.

[rodeodance]

13. amazing-LOTT confirmed this while the WH would not do so this morning.

[cureautismnow]

15. Roberts is wrong. The terrorists remain in power.

And they're all members of the Bush administration.

[zapp]

16. Key Word: Innocent