White House Tells Musharraf: Never ‘Restrict Constitutional Freedoms’ To Fight Terrorism

http://thinkprogress.org/?tag=Administration

White House Tells Musharraf: Never ‘Restrict Constitutional Freedoms’ To Fight Terrorism

During today’s White House press briefing, spokeswoman Dana Perino condemned Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s declaration of “emergency rule” in Pakistan. She said that the administration is “deeply disappointed” by the measure, which suspends the country’s constitution, and believes it is never “reasonable” to “restrict constitutional freedoms in the name of fighting terrorism”:

Q: Is it ever reasonable to restrict constitutional freedoms in the name of fighting terrorism?

MS. PERINO: In our opinion, no.

Watch it:

The Bush administration never suspended the U.S. Constitution; instead, it interpreted the document so broadly as to provide all the powers they desired. A look at some of the ways the White House has overstepped its constitutional powers in the name of national security:

First Amendment: In September, a federal judge ruled that the FBI’s use of secret “national security letters” to obtain citizens’ personal data from private companies for counterterrorism investigations “violate the First Amendment and constitutional provisions on the separation of powers.”

Its' very surreal.

right now. Perhaps Leno should tap the WH for some funny 'material'...

Nukular Irony is even tougher.