Pre-9/11 Spying?
No wonder the Bush administration wants to squash this lawsuit.
From Bloomberg.com:
If this turns out to be true, so much for those claims of how 9/11 could have been averted had this been in place. And what about Attorney General Gonzales' testimony that this program was only initiated after Congress authorized military force? Did he lie to Congress? It may appear so. Good thing he wasn't sworn in.
Personally I wouldn't be at all surprised if this were true. And if it is, I'm sure many will wonder why the Bush administration would do something that is so blatantly antithetical to the rule of law.
Two words come to mind: Karl Rove.
I have made allusions in the past as to the real reason for why the Bush administration felt the need to circumvent the FISA court. And if the claim of pre-9/11 spying is true, it will only cement by belief that the spying is being conducted for political rather then security purposes.
We have all had the unfortunate privilege of learning far too late just how treacherous Karl Rove can be when it comes to dirty politics. He will use any and all means at this disposal to ensure that his client gains or remains in power. To achieve that goal, he must have a sort of "Beltway Omnipotence". He must be alert to any threats to his client and have an affective defense to counter those threats. Thus the reason for the warrantless spying (at least the limited, 500 or so at any given time, surveillance that the administration has admitted to).
Juicy secrets have played a role in governance for a long time now. They can end political careers faster then you can say "dead hooker" and can also be utilized to illicit a desired result from the would-be secret keeper.
At the start of this roller-coaster way back in early 2001, the Bushies were riding high on their "victory". But even at this early stage, Karl was no doubt thinking ahead as a true chess master always does. And with everyone was still reeling from the election, it would have been easy to get the ball rolling on an Insurance Policy '04.
Then 9/11 happened and a true gift from the gods had been thrust upon the Bushies. They could now use the specter of future act of terrorism as a cover for the program they had been considering. And as a bonus, they could use a war with Iraq to help solidify the image of Bush as a "war president" taking the fight to the "evildoers" and thus deserving of another term.
The gambit of the secret program was not without risks but it was necessary to ensure that Dubya did not turn out to be another one term wonder like his dad. When the New York Times learned of the program, they were asked to sit on it on grounds that it would be harmful to national security. The reality is that it would have been more damaging to the Bush re-election, perhaps even enough to seriously affect the outcome.
When the truth is finally revealed, we may learn this program has the fingerprints of "Bush's Brain" all over it.
From Bloomberg.com:
The National Security Agency asked AT&T Inc. to help it set up a domestic call monitoring site seven months before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, lawyers claimed June 23 in court papers filed in New York federal court.
The allegation is part of a court filing adding AT&T, the nation's largest telephone company, as a defendant in a breach of privacy case filed earlier this month on behalf of Verizon Communications Inc. and BellSouth Corp. customers. The suit alleges that the three carriers, the NSA and President George Bush violated the Telecommunications Act of 1934 and the Constitution, and seeks money damages.
"The Bush Administration asserted this became necessary after 9/11," plaintiff's lawyer Carl Mayer said in a telephone interview. "This undermines that assertion."
If this turns out to be true, so much for those claims of how 9/11 could have been averted had this been in place. And what about Attorney General Gonzales' testimony that this program was only initiated after Congress authorized military force? Did he lie to Congress? It may appear so. Good thing he wasn't sworn in.
Personally I wouldn't be at all surprised if this were true. And if it is, I'm sure many will wonder why the Bush administration would do something that is so blatantly antithetical to the rule of law.
Two words come to mind: Karl Rove.
I have made allusions in the past as to the real reason for why the Bush administration felt the need to circumvent the FISA court. And if the claim of pre-9/11 spying is true, it will only cement by belief that the spying is being conducted for political rather then security purposes.
We have all had the unfortunate privilege of learning far too late just how treacherous Karl Rove can be when it comes to dirty politics. He will use any and all means at this disposal to ensure that his client gains or remains in power. To achieve that goal, he must have a sort of "Beltway Omnipotence". He must be alert to any threats to his client and have an affective defense to counter those threats. Thus the reason for the warrantless spying (at least the limited, 500 or so at any given time, surveillance that the administration has admitted to).
Juicy secrets have played a role in governance for a long time now. They can end political careers faster then you can say "dead hooker" and can also be utilized to illicit a desired result from the would-be secret keeper.
At the start of this roller-coaster way back in early 2001, the Bushies were riding high on their "victory". But even at this early stage, Karl was no doubt thinking ahead as a true chess master always does. And with everyone was still reeling from the election, it would have been easy to get the ball rolling on an Insurance Policy '04.
Then 9/11 happened and a true gift from the gods had been thrust upon the Bushies. They could now use the specter of future act of terrorism as a cover for the program they had been considering. And as a bonus, they could use a war with Iraq to help solidify the image of Bush as a "war president" taking the fight to the "evildoers" and thus deserving of another term.
The gambit of the secret program was not without risks but it was necessary to ensure that Dubya did not turn out to be another one term wonder like his dad. When the New York Times learned of the program, they were asked to sit on it on grounds that it would be harmful to national security. The reality is that it would have been more damaging to the Bush re-election, perhaps even enough to seriously affect the outcome.
When the truth is finally revealed, we may learn this program has the fingerprints of "Bush's Brain" all over it.
it really shows the contempt that bush feels about the constitution.
impeachment is only way this can all be fixed
br3n
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Anonymous |
7/04/2006 09:40:00 AM
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