and Legislative Branch means nothing.
Look again at the now-widely spread quote from Jack Cafferty on CNN:
The deal was announced by Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the committee chairman, and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. They said Cheney, who plays a key role supervising NSA counterterrorism efforts, promised that the Bush administration would consider legislation proposed by Specter that would place a domestic surveillance program under scrutiny of a special federal court...
On the flip, see what scared me the most about this...
I teach history at a Maryland high school, and did a year of remediation for our state's now-expired Functional Citizenship test for graduation.
The last time I checked, it's the job of the EXECUTIVE branch to propose legislation. And it's the job of thw LEGISLATIVE branch to consider it, and possibly pass it.
First, the 750 signing statements, where Bush says he will not enforce any law HE believes to be uinconstitutional. Now, the Republican majority have bascially signed over their ability to consider legislation to a degree that a CNN commentator says it in plain language, and most of the audience doesn't understand the Constitutional crisis it signals. Sen. Specter is proposing legislation the Bush administration will consider? Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?
Bush truly IS the decider now. He decides which laws he wants to enfore, and he decides how and by what means Congress is grant any information (not oversight, mind you) about his administrations dealings in the dark.
As I heard one commentator put it, notification is akin to a 16-year-old TELLING his parents he's taking the car keys to make a liquor store run and he will be back at 3 AM. Doesn't mean he was given permission, it just means he notified them.
Well, Bush again is notifying us he will do what he damn well pleases.
Take Back Congress. There's no other option.