(Sen Pat) Roberts irritated by accounts of snooping

[DoYouEverWonder]

Jan. 07, 2006

The continuing focus on a controversial federal eavesdropping program could "endanger American lives," Sen. Pat Roberts said Friday.

"What I'm worried about is the al-Qaida reading all of these press accounts as a cascade of further stories and speculation come out, and we lose the capability (of NSA communication intercepts)," said the Intelligence Committee chairman, who has been regularly briefed on the program.

The secret program, first revealed in December, allows the National Security Agency to listen to conversations involving U.S. citizens and alleged terror suspects overseas without a warrant.

Critics in both parties suggest the president's authorization of the program shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks violates federal law and the Constitution and is an improper infringement on the civil liberties of Americans.

"President Bush has lied to the American public while secretly authorizing government agencies to ride roughshod over our civil liberties," ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero said this week.

Roberts, who was in the Kansas City area for a visit by Vice President Dick Cheney, disagrees. Asked if the wiretaps were a proper exercise of executive authority, Roberts said, "I don't think there’s any question about it. I think it would be indefensible not to use the capability."

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/13569206.htm?source=yahoodist&content=ksc_news

[ClassWarrior]

1. Some combinations of words are rather soothing.

Take "Pat Roberts irritated" for example.

NGU.

[aquart]

2. Why? Will they switch to carrier pigeons?

[ClassWarrior]

5. From what I understand, they never switched FROM them.

Them and box cutters.

NGU.

[Straight Shooter]

3. What he's worried about is losing Repub majority in Congress.

That's why he and his fellow Repubs keep spinning this story as "bush needs to spy" instead of telling the truth about the necessity of warrants and the timeline involved in being able to obtain those warrants.

I am beginning to get a clearer picture every day of what life was like in the McCarthy era, when people totally lost their ability to think clearly because the Red Menace was everywhere. :eyes:

[xchrom]

4. pat roberts is an ass -- a useful tool

for bushco's private war on america.

[long_green]

6. Texas (Cornyn and Hutchinson) may be close...

but I nominate Kansas for having the worst pair of senators in the U.S. with Roberts and Brownback.

[babylonsister]

7. He's another one I simply cannot stand. And while I'm at it,

whatever happened to disclosing all the info to the run-up to war senators asked him for and were promised? Another issue swept under the rug, it seems.

[Moochy]

8. Indefensible indeed..

"I think it would be indefensible not to use the capability."

Funny how the brain slips up and selects the most appropriate words.

[grytpype]

9. BE AFRAID, BE AFRAID!

It's the only thing the Bushists know how to say.

[LynnTheDem]

10. Bottom line; BUSH BROKE THE LAW.

NO president, NO ONE, is above the law in America.

NO ONE.

If you think it's ok for any president to break any law(s) s/he wants, then be honest & declare America a fascist dictatorship.

[pfitz59]

11. Turn the tables.........

Let this slime-ball open all HIS privileged communications to public scrutiny! Obviously he has nothing to hide. Let the sun shine on all government communications. There are too many secrets for a free and open society. "Of the people, by the people, for the people..."

[ShockediSay]

12. And the freedom of political opposition?

When do we get hauled off to some secret location and tortured til we confess to terrorism?

So much for freedom.

[MasonJar]

13. Pat Roberts is the scum of the Senate. He is a Bush/Cheney

clone. I despise the man. He is the reason that nothing has been done to investigate the tortures, the atrocities of enormous magnitude in Iraq and around the world. He is the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee and will not let the committee do anything resembling an investigation of the pretender.

[hang a left]

14. This is why the Senate Intelligence Committee must NOT be in charge

of the investigation into the wiretapping. It must be the Judiciary Committee.

[DoYouEverWonder]

15. Another reason why we need an Independent Consul

to investigate this enormous scandal.

[hang a left]

16. You are right.

I wonder what our chance of that are? What do you think?

[rodeodance]

17. cheney's parrot is talking.

[norml]

18. Pat, YOU just told al-Qaida that we're spying on them!

Now you've let the cat out of the bag, dumb ass!