BUSH Answers FISA Subpoena By Demanding That Dems PERMANENTLY Update Spying Program

I did not realize that subpoenas were open to negotiation!

Bush answers subpoena with FISA demand
By Jon Ward
August 21, 2007
MONTEBELLO, Quebec — The Bush administration yesterday signaled to Senate Democrats that it will provide the legal rationale for its domestic surveillance program if Democrats reciprocate by permanently updating the key law governing foreign spying.

White House officials sent two letters to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont Democrat, in response to a subpoena deadline set to expire yesterday. One letter asked for more time to respond, but a letter from Vice President Dick Cheney's office identified key documents that "may be responsive to the subpoena," in which Mr. Leahy asked for the legal grounds for the program.

The letter from Shannen W. Coffin, counsel to the vice president, identified 43 dates — from Oct. 4, 2001, to Dec. 8, 2006 — for which Mr. Cheney's office has "copies of Top Secret/Codeword Presidential Authorizations." The letter also said Mr. Cheney's office has copies of 10 Justice Department memos about the domestic spying program.

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A Bush administration source said that the argument over whether the domestic surveillance program has a legal basis has virtually nothing to do with the FISA reform, and that Mr. Leahy's subpoena demands are a red herring. The clear signal from the White House, however, is that the administration is willing to accommodate the request if Democrats yield on FISA reform, a move opposed by grass-roots liberals.

more at:
http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070821/NATION/108210049/1001

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Subpoenas Are Not Open To Negotiation - Especially When We Know There Was Illegality

We now know from the OVP letter to SJC Chairman Patrick Leahy that:

Bush ordered The Program, known to be illegal, continued unaltered for 9 days before it was amended on March 19, 2004. The Program was changed a second time with an amendment on April 2, 2004, 23 days after reauthorization.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/8/21/63525/7260

:wow:

"MAKE MY CRIMES LEGAL GODDAMMIT OR YOU DON'T GET A FUCKING THING!" - george bush

:popcorn:

well what the fuck did anyone expect to happen?

Not only are they breaking the laws and thumbing their noses at the people of this country, but they are showing our children how it's done.

No wonder those girls were such brats.

Unfortunately, the Washington Times editors chopped off the rest of the sentence, which was "and about 75% of the rest of the country." Good try at marginalizing rational dissent, though. It's about all the WT has anymore.

Occasionally there is such a biased line that you say "Whoa! who wrote that? Oh the Washington times. that explains it." :eyes:

"...but screw them."

I chuckle at myself while saying this, but I hope the Dems stand their ground.

I don't think the Bush admin is one-upping the Dems, I think both are reading from a script. The final act will be the end of the Republic.

That's what strikes me as unlikely.

I hope Pelosi is paying attention. This is what happens when you try to negotiate with Republicans. They won't stop trying to take more, and more from you. Bush's strategy is very apparent. He's like Hannibal Lector getting into Pelosi's head to make her do bad things to herself.

Jeez Louise Almighty on a Cracker!!!!

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Opposition party my ass.

As with most criminals, they do it because they think they can get away with it. And, they've been right so far. Probably still right.

but FUCK NO!

n/t

congress to make this permanent? It's already a done deal for 6 months...

6 months from now, bush will (supposedly) only have one year left in office. That just does not make sense, UNLESS you consider that he is probably using it to spy on the members of congress.

If he was truly only worried about terrorists, he would just get on with the business of spying on those who are suspected of such. But the arguments for making this permanent have NEVER been made, at least not that anyone on the internet has ever heard.

WHY "PERMANENT"???? What are they up to?

We, as citizens of this country, see that our country is falling apart, because this administration, and republicans in general, don't know shit about running a country. Their incompetence is obvious on a daily basis, except for their aggressive push to use the branches of government to elect republicans, and keep republican-related companies making HUGE amounts of money at taxpayers expense.

Since they have repeatedly shown that their whole philosophy of governance is to use the "law" to re-elect republicans, I can't help but think that THAT is what the wiretaps are being used for.

:kick:

and then Bush tells them to go to hell, or gives them fake documents.

He gets his shiny new law, and we get screwed again.

Remind me why he is still in office again?

Lately here I am simply DISGUSTED by the Democrats.

Who is betraying whom?

Why is it that "journalists" will use words with a good connotation to describe dangerous policies that will harm our country? It's the same as the phrase "bankruptcy reform" that we heard all the time back when Congress changed the law to further oppress people in unfortunate circumstances. "Reform" means to make something better; who is against reform? Using labels like this is just another well planned right-wing strategy that frames the issue. It leads people to assume something that really is still up for discussion. The traditional media unthinkingly or perhaps intentionally latch on to this language. (Notice I didn't say mainstream media, because blogging and so forth are becoming mainstream too. That's another instance of framing that I learned recently.) We have to start rejecting the language of the right and use terms that frame the situation as we see it.

let's see how this goes.

talking point rationalization for non-compliance.

:evilgrin: