DASCHLE:Bush Advisers "Feared They Didn't Have The Authority To..."

Administration Revives Dispute Over Eavesdropping Authority

By Barton Gellman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, March 4, 2006; Page A03

In a new defense of its warrantless eavesdropping program, the Bush administration yesterday reopened a dispute about whether it tried and failed to obtain direct congressional authority for use of the president's war-making powers on U.S. territory.

The Justice Department has asserted that Congress implicitly granted President Bush the power to secretly order interception of some overseas calls and e-mails made by Americans in the United States when it passed a resolution authorizing use of military force against those responsible for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Eavesdropping is part of war, the administration maintains, and the battlefield includes the United States.

But former senator Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), majority leader at the time of the vote, argued in a Dec. 23 opinion article in The Washington Post that Congress could not have implied such power because it refused a more direct request.

"Literally minutes before the Senate cast its vote" on Sept. 14, 2001, Daschle wrote, the White House asked to insert the words "in the United States" into the use-of-force resolution. "I could see no justification for Congress to accede to this extraordinary request for additional authority," Daschle added. "I refused."

................

Daschle, in a telephone interview yesterday, stood by his account. "They can deny it, but it happened," Daschle said, "and there's no question in my mind that the reason" is that Bush advisers "feared that they didn't have the authority" to exercise war powers domestically without the inserted language.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/03/AR2006030301752.html?referrer=email&referrer=email

Lott and an Assistant Attorney General. So, is this a case of he said/she said? Why didn't Daschle keep notes? Why isn't there a record? And, what if anything, will ever be done about this?

per Daschle:
"the White House asked to insert the words "in the United States" into the use-of-force resolution"

The request was apparently made by David Crane, in the office of then-Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott to Denis McDonough, who was then Daschle's foreign policy aide.

Interestingly enough, Mr. Crane now has "absolutely no recollection of that ever having occurred."

he didn't say it DIDN'T happen, he said he didn't recall it happening. So if proof emerges, they get to play the "aw shucks" card again.

"Bush showed pathological lying habits and was in denial when challenged on his prejudices and biases. He would even deny saying something he just said 30 seconds ago. """" -

Yoshi Tsurumi, one of George W. Bush's professors at Harvard Business School
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/09/16/tsurumi/index_np.html

"But you just said"
"No I didn't"
"Yes, you did. I was right here!"
"Nope, you misheard, I forgot, It was out of context"

from the Salon link:

"I used to chat up a number of students when we were walking back to class," Tsurumi said. "Here was Bush, wearing a Texas Guard bomber jacket, and the draft was the No. 1 topic in those days. And I said, 'George, what did you do with the draft?' He said, 'Well, I got into the Texas Air National Guard.' And I said, 'Lucky you. I understand there is a long waiting list for it. How'd you get in?' When he told me, he didn't seem ashamed or embarrassed. He thought he was entitled to all kinds of privileges and special deals. He was not the only one trying to twist all their connections to avoid Vietnam. But then, he was fanatically for the war."

Tsurumi told Bush that someone who avoided a draft while supporting a war in which others were dying was a hypocrite. "He realized he was caught, showed his famous smirk and huffed off."

Tsurumi's conclusion: Bush is not as dumb as his detractors allege. "He was just badly brought up, with no discipline, and no compassion," he said.

"But I always remember two types of students. One is the very excellent student, the type as a professor you feel honored to be working with. Someone with strong social values, compassion and intellect -- the very rare person you never forget. And then you remember students like George Bush, those who are totally the opposite."

And now every day is "opposite day" with him in charge. I wish I could find this funny.:(

by successfully framing the issue as "only when communication is with suspected members of al qeada" - which of course is not how it has really been worded, but the media complied, used that language - polls repeated it by using that langauge.

The more the story drags out - the more likely that more and more of the public realizes that no such limit exists - all it takes is an exchange with another person in a foreign country; and that there is ZERO oversight that requires any justification for starting spying on a citizen (they don't have to explain to anyone *why* the initial communication spurred survellience.)

Now that more and more of the public is very skeptical of bushco - the more valence that realization will have per negative public perception. The more folks like Frist are seen as publically protecting the illegal and unpopular acts of this administration - the more danger their entire party is at losing more and more public support. The most interesting thing is that they (gop leaders) dont yet fully seem to realize that the old playbook from 02-04 is no longer working (on how to rewhip up bushco and gop support) and indeed is moving into a range of not only not working (05) but actually have begun to blowback (as in each move works negatively for them.)

"Literally minutes before the Senate cast its vote" on Sept. 14, 2001, Daschle wrote, the White House asked to insert the words "in the United States" into the use-of-force resolution. "I could see no justification for Congress to accede to this extraordinary request for additional authority," Daschle added. "I refused."

....and got anthraxed for your trouble :eyes:

:kick: