Bush: silent on illegal outing of agent, says illegal spying leak illegal

[ProSense]

Last Updated: Sunday, 18 December 2005, 00:19 GMT

Bush admits he authorised spying

Radio address
President George W Bush has admitted he authorised secret monitoring of communications within the United States in the wake of the 2001 terror attacks.

snip...

'Illegal leak'

Mr Bush harshly criticised the leak that had made the programme public.

"Revealing classified information is illegal. It alerts our enemies," he said.

The New York Times reported on Friday that Mr Bush had signed a secret presidential order following the attacks on 11 September 2001, allowing the National Security Agency to track the international telephone calls and e-mails of hundreds of people without referral to the courts.

Previously, surveillance on American soil was generally limited to foreign embassies.

American law usually requires a secret court, known as a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, to give permission before intelligence officers can conduct surveillance on US soil.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4538286.stm

[C_U_L8R]

1. He's one to talk...

after all .. he 's knows who leaked the name of a covert agent.
(according to his ideological pal Bob Novak)

First things first Mr President.. why don't you come clean
on the Plame case... and then we can talk about the laws you
broke by spying on Americans.

[kentuck]

2. Good point..

He seemed to have no problem with Plame being "outed" but, is really angry that his illegal maneuver has been exposed.

[ClintonTyree]

3. He makes up the rules as he goes along...........

and people like Lieberman, Biden and a few others enable him by standing by this piece of shit like he's their long lost brother. :eyes:
The bush regime doesn't feel the need to follow any civilized set of rules that apply to others, bush really DOES think he's a dictator and he'll do whatever he damn well pleases.
We have to impeach this piece of shit NOW!

[IndianaGreen]

4. Consider this: Bush ordered the Plame leak!

Why not? He has already stated that he can do whatever he wants as Commander-in-Chief. He has ordered the Pentagon to spy on antiwar groups, and the NSA to eavesdrop on Americans, so why not be the one that ordered the Plame leak?

When a President can break a law with impunity, he will break all laws!

[A Brand New World]

7. I believe it! I've thought all along that Bush and Cheney came

up with the plan. They just had their underlings do the dirty deeds. I'll never believe otherwise. They are both nothing but vicious, dirty crooks!!

[geckosfeet]

5. My letter to my senators and congressional rep mention this.

"Our Constitution is in actual operation; everything appears to promise that it will last; but in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes." - Benjamin Franklin

On Sat. Dec 17, 2005 the president of the United States of America admitted that he authorized illegal wiretaps for the purpose of spying on U.S. citizens. This is a blatant violation of my civil rights as expressed in the Constitution of the United States.

With his admission, he arrogantly disdains and dismisses my rights, your rights, and the rights of the very soldiers that he commands this day. His irrational thought process seems to say that “In order to preserve your civil liberties, freedom and privacy, your civil liberties, freedom and privacy must be covertly undermined.”

Our president cries out that in the reporting on his heinous activities, the free press aids terrorists and other enemies of this country. I do not see how this is possible. Enemies of the United States should always fear her and expect her full, focused and purposeful attentions. What I do not understand, is how the erosion of precious liberty, freedom and privacy can be interpreted as a net gain for the defense of our country.

The president’s outrage at having his covert activities exposed seems opportunistic, self serving and duplicitous. His claim that disclosing these activities may harm national security seems oddly incongruous in light of the allegations that someone on his senior staff was directly involved in disclosing the identity of a CIA agent for political hay making. Indeed. The vice presidents chief of staff has been indicted for lying to a grand jury about this disgusting affair.

Investigations into the activities of the president and his staff that are intended to provide transparency for the American people have been suppressed and stalled. But here he is, arrogantly spying on the American people. Now, the presidents rank hypocrisy has given even members of his own party reason to pause and question the legitimacy of his actions.

[ProSense]

6. Excellent letter! Thanks for sharing. n/t