The wingnuts are in a full-blown panic to try and justify the latest admission by George W. Bush that he authorized the warrant-less spying on American Citizens. That would be strictly against the law, of course, and likely an impeachable offense (remember, Presidents, we used to be told, are not above “the rule of law”).
In their usual well-oiled lockstep fashion, the dead-ender wingnut bloggers and hate-radio folks are now attempting to forward the notion that “Clinton did the same.” As usual, the apologists get their talking point assists from the extremist rightwing “news” site, NewsMax who reported:
Trouble is, this report, from ThinkProgress, would seem to prove otherwise. Testimony given to Congress in 2000 (back when Republicans pretended to care about this sort of thing) by then FBI Director George Tenet would seem to indicate (surprise!) that NewsMax and the other apologists are wrong:
There is a rigorous regime of checks and balances which we, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency and the FBI scrupulously adhere to whenever conversations of U.S. persons are involved, whether directly or indirectly. We do not collect against U.S. persons unless they are agents of a foreign power as that term is defined in the law. We do not target their conversations for collection in the United States unless a FISA warrant has been obtained from the FISA court by the Justice Department.
Whether Tenet was lying or not in his testimony — which NewsMax didn’t bother to quote — we couldn’t tell you. If Bill Clinton actually broke the law in this regard, as the wingnuts suggest, perhaps Republicans should impeach him. Oh, wait, it may be a bit late for that. But perhaps they should have impeached him for it (if it actually occured), instead of impeaching him for receiving an unauthorized blow job. We’re just saying.
Not to mention the argument being used by the commander-of-wingnuts that it was irresponsible to put the NSA surveillance story out – presumably because NOW the terrorists know they may run the risk of being watched and listened to. That would be NEWS? Yeah, right. The only surprise comes to the regular citizens.
Question: Can they address issues without bringing up Clinton? What kind of a defense of breaking a law, is that someone else did it? Last time I checked, Bush was our president, not Clinton. Also, I think Bush was the president when 3,000 people died in the WTC.
Clinton did it too! Clinton did it too!
If everything Clinton did was okay with the Wingnuts, why do they hate him so much?
Face it, only blowjobs are impeachable offenses. Will someone please give one to Bush already?
(P.S. Is there a puking smiley?) :crazy:
Sorry about the multiple posts…server acting up {ed note: No problem Mark, duplicate comments are now deleted :-)}
Know what I’m lovin’ too? Rightwingnuts can’t stand that they can’t/don’t control so much media that popped up, like the internet. It’s driving them wild! Because these hypocrites can’t stand Americans bashing a Republican president, but bashed Clinton 24×7. I love these crybabies! It’s a different story now, eh?
I’m also lovin’ that people are giving less and less of a shit about the media the rightwingnuts control, like TV news and newspapers. Who gets their news from TV or newspapers anymore? It’s driving the rightwingnuts CRAZY, because they didn’t anticipate the internet news, and can’t take it over! They can’t suppress discenting opinions on the internet! WAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!
Remember when bu$hit said he would not talk the "lawyer talk" and parse the words … he would be just plain old simple, true, and sincere? I guess he will now say it depends on the meaning of "lawyer talk".
Remember when he said he would not engage in Nation Building? I guess he meant he would not rebuild Iraq after destroying much of it.
And now he is claiming to be saving our civil rights by destroying them and telling us to like it.
Not gonna work Spy King.
The war continues
Diebold gets even worse news, the facade falls
Out with the thieves once and for all.
Doug E.
Brad wrote: If Bill Clinton actually broke the law in this regard, as the wingnuts suggest, perhaps Republicans should impeach him. Oh, wait, it may be a bit late for that. But perhaps they should have impeached him for it (if it actually occured), instead of impeaching him for receiving an unauthorized blow job. We’re just saying.
You always get to the heart of the matter, Brad. Yes, how do these morally righteous, holier than thou Republicans explain why they didn’t impeach Bill Clinton for something that was of great importance to the Freedom Lovers?
How about — because they didn’t have anything to impeach him on except a dalliance.
How about — it’s been proven their agenda was to ruin the person Bill Clinton and the Democratic Party. Truth be damned.
Really Christian of them. Very moral. Definitely not Right.
hey anyone know if crooks and liars is having problems i cant connect
G W when ya in the oval office all by yourself
nobody’s watchin over ya, ya gut nothin ta do,
which is most if the time. Pleeeease DO NOT!
* Rollup the Constitution and snort coke with it.
* Wipe your ass with the Constitution.
* Use the Constituion to clean up after dreaming about BILL and Monica.
“It’s just a piece G.D.of paper.”
Mark #4
My kids were about 4 when the "Sissy did it too" excuse no longer worked.
I’m searching for that pukin’ smiley for ya! LOL
3rd from the bottom, right column looks like a pre-pukin’ one!
I feel bad for poor old George. I mean with his age catching up to him all that finger pointing must be bad for the arthritis. Eventually you know how it goes, the arthritis gets worse and your fingers start to curl and the next thing you know the finger your pointing is directly at yourself.
Chilling article linked in the comments at Doug Ireland’s article at Alternet.
As the poster there said – it may be too late…
– muchmore…
Brad says "The wingnuts are in a full-blown panic to try and justify the latest admission by George W. Bush that he authorized the warrantless spying on American Citizens."
Yes, and the minions who have been sent out to deceive Americans about this have shot themselves in the foot in about every way imaginable. Like they care.
I have mentioned the F.I.S.A. court in posts here in the past, and that I think they should be abolished because they are secret courts. We do not need secret courts. Regular courts can look at things in camera without the need for a secret court. Open and honest government is the only way to fly.
But even the secret courts were not good enough for the neoCons. They don’t need no stinkin checks and balances, that is for "crooks" and "I’m not a crook". Well, heard that before. It was a lie then and its a lie now.
They claim to be technological whiz kids that can’t wait for slow courts to give them tapola maxola phonola rights have to do it themselves where ever and when ever they care to.
Problem still gets back to them deciding who is an "enemy combatant" and who is a "terrorist". The people so far targeted in this great, secret, life saving Evesdropping misadventures are quakers, green peace folk, and other peace niks.
Meanwhile they have let "Doctor Germ" and "Mrs. Anthrax", said to have been mad scientists making WMD in Iraq have been freed by this administration (link here).
So quakers, green peace, peace niks, and other similar Americans are a danger to this administration but Doctor Germ and Mrs. Anthrax are not? Our CIA agent Valerie Wilson working against the efforts of Doctor Germ and Mrs. Anthrax is outed so she can no longer protect Americans, but the administration lets WMD makers in Iraq go free?
Only the fascist faith of the neoCons can see this as sensible, as perhaps 56% of the soldiers are poisoned (link here).
America’s Full Spectrum Dominance must be a piece of cake to maintain with handy tools like ECHELON (see newly released report on this global eavesdropping network)
It’s a Global Grand Theft Auto game where America holds all the cheats.
Must take all the fun out of negotiating a FTA when you can secretly view the other guy’s game plan.
A very Merry Christmas and air kisses under the Mistletoe to Brad and his merry band of "6 or 7".
Love BUSHW@CKER
Bluebear-
Thanks…a pre-puking smiley works for me. That’s how I feel just before Dick Cheney opens his crooked mouth.
It’s those Terrorist Vegans that I’m concerned about.
Have you ever heard a carrot scream?
Freedom to all vegatables! Stop the slaughter!
Seriously though, I’m waiting to get home and see how the MSM is handling this.
Hopefuly they jump on it and raise some hell!
Mark – kind of close:
G’day, Bushwh@cker – so very good to see ya here! And a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS & Virtual, Liberal (((HUGZ))) to you & yours! (And to all the 6 or 7-ers too!)
Bluebear2 – love your grossed out smiley! Do you have a link for more of those?
I found this cute guy at:
http://www.Emotipad.com
Thanks KIRA 🙂
Lashings of warm Liberal ((Hugs)) to you and your family!
Imagine if a guy were arrested for bank robbery, and defended himself on the grounds that the guy who lived in his house before him also held up a bank, but was never arrested…therefore it’s O.K. that he held up a bank.
Rob: That’s what we do every day that we allow Diebold to count any of our votes, period.
And we give them the key and act surprised. Truly its time to convict them all and hang em high, take down the entire crime syndicate starting with the voting vendors.
Doug E
#13 Jen, what a sad article. It is so true. This whole year has been a ‘wake up call’ and how will it end. I really think we have to dissolve the Union and start over, ground up. I have mentioned before that perhaps the States need to withdraw, but the corruption is so deep, that is just a pipe dream. For me, I will not live to see the full force of evil that will be reigned on us from the Powers that exist under the Red Sign. Total and complete World Domination, again I will say, the U.S. is just a part of this puzzle.
To live to see the demise of this Nation is historic, we all are witnesses. Those of us who have been blessed with the ears to hear and eyes to see will be the recorders of this event in the ethers. The others have a place reserved for them. The ones who have served humanity on a platter will be harshly judged, of that I have no doubt. My understanding of Soul physics tells me that we are more powerful than they are and a threat to them. When the point of critical mass is reached, the tide will turn. Then the words will be uttered….it is finished. M4
If there ever were a chance that there’d be an impeachment proceeding against this president, there’s no chance he’d ever be removed. The foxes are running the hen house.
Besides, why would anybody bother, with Dick Cheney waiting in the wings? He’d be at least the same, or worse. You’d have to impeach the whole damned administration!
Kira #18
That neomotoCon (any icon that shows neoCon behavior) looks like bu$hit trying to climb out of the hole the neoCos are digging for themselves.
John Dean, Nixon’s lawyer, was quoted yesterday as saying that Bush is the first president who ever admitted to an impeachable offense. That’s a strictly legal statement pertaining to the offense itself, not to the admission.
Andrew Johnson admitted removing Edwin M. Stanton from office (how could he deny it?); instead he argued that the Tenure of Office Act was unconstitutional. Bill Clinton finally admitted that Monica was telling the truth, but argued that the perjury charge against him depended on one’s interpretation of the language in his testimony, and that he deserved the benefit of the doubt.
Bush’s case is different. He doesn’t claim that the 1978 law governing a president’s authority to spy on Americans is unconstitutional. He doesn’t argue that he never directed the NSA to do spy on us. He just says it’s O.K. for a president to interpret a law as he sees fit.
If that were the case, there would be no need for any law restricting a president’s conduct. A president could theoretically order the bombing of a convention center of environmenalitsts he regarded as threats to national security. He could arrest and imprison any domestic political enemy as a threat to public safety. He could do whatever he damned pleased, and not be impeachable. Not even our trolls would go as far as Bush has gone.