Powell Backs Eavesdropping to Stop Terror

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051225/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/powell_1


WASHINGTON - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell on Sunday supported government eavesdropping to prevent terrorism but said a major controversy over presidential powers could have been avoided by obtaining court warrants.

Powell said that when he was in the Cabinet, he was not told that President Bush authorized a warrantless National Security Agency surveillance operation after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

Appearing on ABC's "This Week" Powell said he sees "absolutely nothing wrong with the president authorizing these kinds of actions" to protect the nation.

But he added, "My own judgment is that it didn't seem to me, anyway, that it would have been that hard to go get the warrants. And even in the case of an emergency, you go and do it."

He has become no more or no less than a footnote in history.

When one lies down with dogs, one arises with fleas.

Come on!

in spite of what the headline says, Powell said exactly the opposite of how you are reading him.

He sayt the warrants should have been obtained.

He's soft-pedaling the violation, but he still admits it is a violation.

...plus saying that he supports eavesdropping to fight the war on terror what powell is really supporting is the establishment of the bush dictatorship... so much for the son of islanders who came to this country looking for democratic ways which would allow their son to go where he went.

Powell has always whored for the GOP.

they hail him as a great leader... he really has no moral compass and he knows how to lie...that is all anyone needs to be hailed as a great leader in the bush camp.

even if it is outside the law

peace

He should get a nice long prison term just like the rest of 'em.

Including quite a few complicit members of the "elitist liberal media."

man's "autobiography"? It couldn't have been him.

Just another lying criminal crony of *co cabal.

That's the whole point, dumbass.

If Wee Cowboy would've simply complied with the LAW, this wouldn't be an ISSUE. By breaking the law and disregarding the Constitution, he has brought all of this down on himself.

And you know what, Colin? I bet it turns out all that eavesdropping wasn't confined to *real* terror suspects.

Wanna make that bet, Colin?

Didn't think so. :eyes:

"That's the whole point, dumbass."

As surprising as it apparently is to Mr. Powell, a lot of people don't have a problem when the administration follows the law. It's when Bush breaks the law -- for whatever reason, whether it's pure laziness, an exaggerated sense of self-entitlement or anything -- that people tend to get all impeachment-oriented.

Isn't it funny how that works, Colin? Follow the law -- legal, no problem. Break the law -- illegal, problem. I think even you could figure this out if you sat down and thought about it long enough, you fucking moron.

Rule of law and all that.

sheesh.

This is the meme they'e obviously trying to play - focus on eavesdropping and try to take the focus away from the lack of warrants.

Look at what he says...

"(I)t didn't seem to me, anyway, that it would have been that hard to go get the warrants."

That's the whole point. Bush, that arrogant SOB didn't even bother to get warrants that he COULD have gotten SOP from a rubber stamp court.

It's Bush's trampling of the Constitution that's gonna hang him, and Powell illuminated that quite nicely.

The wiretaps aren't for terrorists, they are for domestic political opponents (and probably an ostensible friend or two).

Are there any targets of which we know? Other than the Quakers, that is.

But...we know that such requests are invariably granted...we know that there are any number of judges who would not be security risks (for this administration)...as a demonstration of power, as a means of saying "these highly suspicious foreign nationals bear watching BUT I do not recognize the need to ask your leave at such a time..." If that's the case, it is chilling. Because it means that the president is in charge. It means we are not heading to absolutism but have been there for some time.

without any proof makes us as bad as them.
IMHO, anyway.

but you certainly know that (and I hope you tolerate my presumption in lecturing you).
This government likes to operate in secret. The best way to do so is to observe the (withered) forms of our constitution. As they did not do that in this case, it seems to me that there is a reason, and a leak. But of course, we agree.:toast:

:hug:

....BUT FOLLOW THE GODDAMN LAW and GET A FISA WARRANT!!!!

on "terrists"? The bushites didn't care what they were up to in 2001 when they had all those warnings and the August 6, 2001 memo that was spiked instead of heeded.

bush is spying on the peacemakers and the Democrats if we learn anything from his grisly history.

but mainly the conversation is steered away from the point that Bush did not need to exercise that kind of eavesdropping. No one is questioning legal taps or limited emergencies. The principle of law is the omne recklessly victimized by Bush for no discernible justifiable cause, to say the least possible about his admissions.

Powell is skirting the issue with a non-issue.

If you close your eyes while listening, you'd think it was Condi,,

around to people.

"See this vial of bullshit? It means illegal wire-tapping is Bush's Divine Right"

for the legit reason of protecting us from terror suspects. The problem arises when GeeDub thinks he's King and goes around the courts. I think Powell went pretty easy on this but he did explain his opposition to going around the FISA Court.

now that he's just plain stupid. If he thinks sucking up to these assholes will rehabilitate him, he's bent. They ran him out because he wasn't compliant enough, and they'd exhausted his usefulness once he didn't have an intact reputation behind which they could hide.

If he thinks trying to play both sides of the street on this issue will ingratiate him with much of anyone, he's a complete fool.

and a stick figure drawing were compelling reasons to get us in to this filthy war.

Fuck him.

Why should we believe a word he says...or care what he says?

for a long time.
colin is trying to look sensible, but always takes the bow to dubco.

NT

Nothing here is news.

He need to WAKE UP and realize nobody cares what this liar thinks...

http://channels.isp.netscape.com/news/story.jsp?idq=/ff/story/0001/20051226/0637630493.htm&ewp=ewp_news_1205spying_probe&floc=NW_1-T

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell on Sunday supported government eavesdropping to prevent terrorism but said a major controversy over presidential powers could have been avoided by obtaining court warrants.

Powell said that when he was in the Cabinet, he was not told that President Bush authorized a warrantless National Security Agency surveillance operation after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

Appearing on ABC's ``This Week'' Powell said he sees ``absolutely nothing wrong with the president authorizing these kinds of actions'' to protect the nation. But he added, ``My own judgment is that it didn't seem to me, anyway, that it would have been that hard to go get the warrants. And even in the case of an emergency, you go and do it.''

News at 11.

With an unnecessary war.

Powell is a SOB.He is an opportunist and unprincipled SOB.He forgets his roots.