Feingold Asks For Briefing On Spying Program

[sabra]

http://www.channel3000.com/news/6498915/detail.html

Feingold Asks For Briefing On Spying Program
Senate Committee To Hold Hearing Feb. 6

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., asked the White House on Friday to brief him on the Bush administration's secret surveillance program. Feingold has suggested the program violated U.S. law.

Feingold said that he wants the briefing ahead of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing scheduled for Feb. 6.

Experts and lawmakers from both parties have questioned the legality of the program, in which the government listened to conversations in the U.S. without a warrant.

...

Specifically, Feingold asked President George W. Bush to make his staff available to discuss the program, as well as the use of automated data analysis, or "data mining," of domestic communications.

[Supersedeas]

1. Al Gonzo says that the media has their facts wrong the nature of the

program.

[rodeodance]

2. Good for you Russ.

[Mnemosyne]

3. .

:kick:

[UrbScotty]

4. Go Russ! (nt)

[cascadiance]

5. He also noted on Rachel Madow this morning that Gonzales LIED...

in his confirmation hearing, when he was claiming that he asked Gonzales, UNDER OATH, the following question after Gonzales avoided answering others:

Feingold: "What would happen if the president authorized wiretapping outside the law?"

Gonzales: "Well that's just a hypothetical"

And as they both note, this wiretapping was happening prior to him giving this answer, and he'd been knowledgeable about it before then too!

Feingold's advocating getting a special prosecutor to look at this mess!

He also noted that we lost the Alito vote when that "Gang of 14" broke off and stopped the fillibuster a while back. He said that we should have taken a stand then instead of letting them dictate this set of false rules..

[ninkasi]

6. Would lying in his confirmation hearing

be enough for impeachment? I think that we're going to have to start taking a hard look at what's involved in such actions, now that Bush has so thoroughly stacked the courts with right-wing ideologues. We're also going to need to be much, much more selective in our politician donations.

I'm not giving one penny to any of the traitors who voted for cloture yesterday; I'm going to donate to individual candidates only. I will also support any progressive Dem challenger in the primaries, if they are opposing one of our weak incumbents.

I appreciate Feingold for bringing attention to the fact that Republicans feel no need to tell the truth when a lie will serve their purpose.

[HereSince1628]

7. Does Russ have the security clearance? (seriously)

I honestly don't know. Bush/Cheney revoked Congressional clearances and reinstated those for a much smaller number.

I expect this to be a big part of their constructed defense for not adequately informing Congress.

[xxqqqzme]

8. member of Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

all members should have been briefed NOT just the few selected rethugs

Senator Evan Bayh(Democrat - Indiana)
Senator Christopher S. 'Kit' Bond(Republican - Missouri)
Senator C. Saxby Chambliss(Republican - Georgia)
Senator Michael 'Mike' DeWine(Republican - Ohio)
Senator Russell D. Feingold(Democrat - Wisconsin)
Senator Dianne Feinstein(Democrat - California)
Senator Charles T. 'Chuck' Hagel(Republican - Nebraska)
Senator Orrin Grant Hatch(Republican - Utah)
Senator Carl Levin(Democrat - Michigan)
Senator Trent Lott(Republican - Mississippi)
Senator Barbara A. Mikulski(Democrat - Maryland)
Senator Pat Roberts(Republican - Kansas) Chair
Senator John D. 'Jay' Rockefeller(Democrat - West Virginia) Vice Chair
Senator Olympia J. Snowe(Republican - Maine)
Senator Ron Wyden(Democrat - Oregon)

http://www.vote-smart.org/committee.php?comm_id=44