DAVID BROOKS: "Politically, it's a winner. I was joking -- the Republicans are going to hold their convention at the NSA headquarters next year to sort of underline the issue. I still don't see why we're not at this point -- why Democrats, most Democrats say we want -- we think the program is necessary, we just want it in a legal framework. Why doesn't some Democrat or some Republican say here's the piece of legislation to put it in a legal framework? We really haven't seen that from either side."
JIM LEHRER: "The president was asked about that yesterday and I asked Alberto Gonzales about it and they both said no, we don't really need that. We don't want that, because it would tell too much about what is about -- about the system itself."
MARK SHIELDS: "Not to contradict you, Jim, but the president even went further yesterday. He said he not only -- it wasn't necessary, he didn't want it; he might not even sign it. Now that is where the Democrats see their great advantage. They see the advantage of saying okay, let's make this legal; let's give the legal process there, and have him be the one that turns it down."
Note that last comment by Shields; "it wasn't necessary, he didn't want it; he might not even sign it." So this President does not want to be "hampered" in any way by Congress in the execution of this program, when all they want to do is make it legal?! To rephrase, making the program legal is hampering the program? BS
This President actually thinks that just because Congress gave him permission to conduct, what he calls, the War on Terrorism that this includes ignoring laws passed by the same Congress and ignore or endanger parts of the Constitution, especially "The Bill of Rights." He believes that the Presidential power to protect the USA = a President can ignore parts of the Constitution in the application of that power.
A small history lesson for those who didn't pay attention in High School. Dictators of history have used that same excuse, protection of the people/state, to take democratic powers away from "the people." Does that mean I believe that Bush is now a dictator, NO, not yet but close.
The danger to our liberties is in not correcting his assumption that the power to protect allows him to ignore laws and other parts of the Constitution. Terrorists cannot take away our liberties, but we can give them away by allowing our fear drive us to giving them up.
We need to remind this President, and future Presidents, that their power comes from and is limited by the people.
No comments:
Post a Comment