According to President Bush at least four Democrats must have known about his secret spying program: the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate and the ranking members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees.
Associated Press Writer Jennifer Loven writes
Bush said leaders in Congress have been briefed more than a dozen times. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., told House Republicans that those informed were the top Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate and of each chamber's intelligence committees. "They've been through the whole thing," Hoekstra said.
That would mean Jan Harman, D-CA, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee knew. It also means Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and the Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Jay Rockefeller knew. Or did they? And if did, did they know everything?
Pete Hoekstra is the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. It's pretty easy to understand why he and Senate Intelligence Chairman Pat Roberts have been playing for Bush, or why the House and Senate Republican leadership is minding the store. It's a bit more of a stretch to understand Nancy Pelosi's silence or why Harry Reid, like
The New York Times, kept the president's council. I assume everyone was sworn to secrecy, but why wasn't some brave soul waving a warning flag? Why wasn't there more concern for a secret policy that arguably breaks federal law?
Unfortunately Pelosi's response—admitting she knew about the program—is less than satisfying
I was advised of President Bush's decision to provide authority to the National Security Agency to conduct unspecified activities shortly after he made it and have been provided with updates on several occasions. The Bush Administration considered these briefings to be notification, not a request for approval. As is my practice whenever I am notified about intelligence activities, I expressed my strong concerns during these briefings.
According to a
Washington Post report, Rep. Harman is one of the few Democrats to vote
for the Patriot Act in Thursday's House vote--even as Senator Feingold was attempting to rally Democratic support for his challenge in the Senate. Harman (parroting the Repugs) says the Patriot Act, even as redesigned, is needed
to track communications by e-mail and Internet, including the use of Internet sites in libraries, and to prevent and disrupt plots against us.
No doubt the recent Dartmouth student called on the Homeland Security carpet for asking to see the original translation of Mao's
Red Book is a case in point.
I think it's going to take extreme pressure on our part, or this, like every other outrage, is going to rise and fall back into silence. I sent Reid balloons after he forced the Senate into a closed session. He responded with a personal letter of appreciation. So, great. What I want now is to see Reid and all the Democrats coming out swinging on this, unified with a cohesive plan that can be orchestrated. I want to see an opposition party standing up and calling it for what it is.
This is not a war against terrorism Bushco is fighting; it's a war against Democracy.