Gonzales: NSA may tap 'ordinary' Americans' e-mail

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

WASHINGTON--Agents operating a controversial National Security Agency surveillance program may have inadvertently spied on the e-mails and phone calls of Americans with no ties to terrorists, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Monday.

Gonzales stressed that the program is "narrowly focused" and that adequate steps are taken to protect privacy, though he said he was unable to describe such procedures because of the program's classified nature.

The admissions came as part of the first of what will likely be several public hearings before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. A full slate of Democrats and Republicans rotated 10-minute stints questioning Gonzales, the day's sole witness, about the secret eavesdropping program. A CNET News.com survey published Monday lists which telecommunications companies say they are not cooperating with the NSA.

The Bush administration has said repeatedly that the program, which has transpired without prior court approval since shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, only monitors communications in which at least one party is located outside the United States and is a member or agent of al-Qaida or groups associated with terrorists.

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6035637.html

Yeah.... It was a mistake. That's the ticket.

[Deja Q]

1. Hmmm. A gang member once said it was an accident he shot a little girl...

So we should let the gang member go free then, all is well?

:shrug:

[Faygo Kid]

2. See ya in the camps! Anyone for Parcheesi?

Please, somebody bring a deck of cards. If your emails are as politically charged as mine, I look forward to seeing you!

[SpiralHawk]

4. I'll bring my kazoo, if...

you teach us to dance like that.

Oh, what fun we'll have, whiling away the decades at the New American Freedom Internment Camps...

[DoYouEverWonder]

8. Well if they gives us three squares a day

health care and a roof over our heads, it might not be so bad after all. At least, we'll be in good company and I won't have to work my ass off to pay the bills.

[louis-t]

3. He finally admitted something?

I watched for hours and never heard a straight answer. Just a lot of hemming and hawing and smirking.

[wordpix]

10. Gonzo learned the smirk from *

[HuffleClaw]

5. "unable to describe such procedures..."

what a complete and utter travishamockery! really, he wasn't under oath so he could say what he liked and then simply refused to give any details for their usual catchall excuse, 'security reasons'.

[JCMach1]

6. Does anyone buy the 'we're dumbasses' excuse anymore?

Blame it on mistakes and incompetence instead of policy and intent...

The fucking bastards!

[salin]

7. Hey Gonzo - what do you do with collected info

on folks later determined to be mistakenly caught up in the net? That is the thousands upon thousands spied on who are "weeded out" (per the WaPo article) later and not deemed suspicious? Are files kept - does that later tag folks because they have a file? Saving for "Enemies lists?"

[area51]

9. "... or groups associated with terrorists."

Well, since GW Hoover thinks that anyone who disagrees w/him is a terrorist, I guess he'll be putting a lot of nazi party members in his internment camps along w/democrats.

[wordpix]

11. whoops, Gonzo let something leak out---* & his boss Dickhead won't like it