Yesterday President held a wide-ranging press conference on a variety of subjects. Of course the dominant issue on the minds of the press was Bush's latest usurpation of power, the NSA wiretapping. The Washington Post has an interesting
article on the press conference. I want to highlight a few of the defenses the Bush Administration has been throwing out.
"This is a different era, a different war," the president said at a year-end news conference in the East Room. "People are changing phone numbers and phone calls, and they're moving quick. And we've got to be able to detect and prevent. I keep saying that, but this . . . requires quick action."
This is just plain nonsense. As many senators and legal experts have already stated FISA would allow a president to tap first and get a warrant later. There have been numerous instances in which a president tapped the line of suspect and was then able to successfully receive a retroactive warrant through proper FISA channels as the law intends. Bush could have had his cake and eaten it too within the bounds of the law. The other reason this line of defense is nonsense is that suggests the ability of a president to determine that a law is a bit outdated and therefore the president can freshen it up without Congressional approval because of his constitutional "obligation to protect you."
The other problem I have with the "different era, different war" argument is why didn't the Bush Administration go to Congress and ask for either the changes it needed in the law or ask for an entirely new law? He has no real argument for his illegal actions and his arguments for his actions are just going to keep getting more pathetic.
While generally relaxed and sometimes joking, Bush grew testy when asked if he is presiding over the expansion of "unchecked power" by the executive branch. "To say 'unchecked power' basically is ascribing some kind of dictatorial position to the president, which I strongly reject," he responded sharply, waving his finger.
I am happy that Bush is rejecting with words the idea that the president cannot act as a dictator. Now only if he could reject the assertion with his actions. He continues to maintain that he briefed a few senators and therefore everything was fine. What is ridiculous about this argument is that he has never said that if they were to have objected he would have stopped the taps. Furthermore we know he would not have. President Bush believes that he is right and what he is doing is legal, he informed the senators only to cover his tracks. We know that at least one senator, Jay Rockafeller, did object yet the taps continued. When Bush believes he is absolutely right and when he believes that his actions are morally just he is an unstoppable juggernaut who is willing to sacrafice the lives and liberties of Americans.
Cross-posted at Mass Revolution Now!