Anyone watching Scotty melt down?

[Sydnie]

I got distracted watching Stevens melt down (in his little HULK tie) and forgot there was a press conference on. Is there anyone watching or a thread about it today?

[Debau2005]

1. Feed the cube rats

What is the topic today?

[Sydnie]

29. Scotty was just asked how

Congress had oversight of the spying.
Reporter - "Congress defines oversight as the authority to conduct inquiries or investigations, to have access to records or materials, or to issue supoena's or testimony from the executive. Which of these powers was the Congress granted with regard to the NSA surveilance program?"

S- "As you just pointed out, Congress is an independant branch of government and they are elected by their Constituents. We briefed and informed members of Congress about this program going back to Septem ... going back to 2001, more than a dozen times since then. We breifed members."



Reporter - "investigate or issue spupoena's, to ask questions .. I am asking which of the powers of oversight were they granted?"

S- "Congress is an independent branch of government, that's what I just pointed out Jessica..."

Reporter - "to check the functions of the executive and these are..."

S- They have an oversight rule, that's right..."

Reporter - "So in what"

S- "and that's why, that's why ... That's why we thought it was important to brief members of Congress about this vital tool we were using to save lives and to protect the American people. And why we talked to them about how it was limited in nature and limited in scope."

Reporter - "But we know members of Congress that were briefed who said that they were informed, yes briefed, but given absolutely no recourse to formally object ... to push back and say This is not acceptable."

S- "They're an independent branch of government."

Reporter - "In waht way were they given oversight?"

S- They were briefed and we believe it is important to brief members of Congress, to the relevant leaders .."

Reporter - "You also say they were given full oversight?"

S- "They are an independent branch of goverment. Yes, they have, yes they have oversight rolls to play."

Reporter - "In what way could they have acted on that oversight?"

S- "You should ask members of Congress that question."

Calls on new reporter ...

Same shit ... different day.

[fooj]

2. What channel?

:hi:

[Sydnie]

3. C-SPan 1

[Democrat 4 Ever]

5. C-Span1 n/t

[stop the bleeding]

4. I just tuned in how much did I miss????

[Sydnie]

6. Was scheduled to start at 12:15

so we have missed a lot if it started on time.

[Reciprocity]

8. Same here.

[fooj]

7. First time I've heard him referred to as General Gonzales...

:hide:

[MaineDem]

36. That's the right title

I remember reference to General Reno. Sounds wierd but it's right.

[ticapnews]

9. We have been hit here at home, you dope!

What? Anthrax doesn't count?

[karlrschneider]

10. Thanks for the heads up, I forgot to look for it

:D

[maddezmom]

11. thanks just tuned in

a bit off his game(if he ever had one) :evilgrin:

[maddezmom]

14. the power to wiretap without FISA has been used over 18,000

times :wow:

[Jeanette in FL]

12. Using the "I am not a lawyer" phrase

I have been hearing this phrase used quite frequently by the staff. Condi etc.

[fooj]

13. Can we presume there are 18,000 terrorists in this country?

Good one!

[Kool Kitty]

18. And didn't you love his answer?

His stock "I'm not going to get into...." blather. What an asshole. "I think the American people recognize that we are in a new kind of war, this is a new kind of threat...." :puke:

[fooj]

24. It's a new kind of threat, alright!

:hide:

[maddezmom]

19. Scotty won't confirm or deny the number

probably is much more

[Oilwellian]

35. no no no

18,000 AMERICAN terrorists.

[w13rd0]

15. I have this uncontrollable urge...

...to beat the living shit out of these people. I feel myself being overcome with rage. Gay lawyer groups, environmental groups, the catholic workers charity...these are terrorist groups to the fuckers. Democrats in congress, local activists...tell us who it's safe to be, please, so we can keep you evil mother fuckers out of our homes and lives.

[speedoo]

16. "enemy moves with great speed"... that's a LIE.

It's pretty well known that Al Q takes YEARS to plan and execute attacks. Of course the MSM will never challenge this new lie.

[ticapnews]

17. The similarities between these two just keep growing...

[TahitiNut]

20. It's the ol' "justifiable" (but not "justified") excuse.

They've settled on a doublespeak defense. They're constantly emphasizing that they "justified" it themselves ... even though they didn't bother seeking a warrant. Who needs the courts? Who needs the laws?

[Johonny]

34. You know if

I trusted them at all that might mean something. Since I don't...

[w13rd0]

21. DAMN!

A reporter just brought up his 2004 comments, and of course, Scotty is just trying to use it as an opportunity to try pushing the Patriot Act bullshit. Haha, Scotty pinwheeling.

[Debau2005]

23. He'll have to review the documents!

WHATEVER!

[SoCalDem]

39. Pinwheel.. That sums him up.. He's a spinner of first class order

[Spazito]

22. Wow, reporter just used the 2004 bush quote that was, I believe,

first found by a DUer! She caught Scottie by surprise, gotta love it!

[chelaque liberal]

30. What is the quote?

[Spazito]

32. Here it is

"Secondly, there are such things as roving wiretaps. Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so. It's important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution."

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/04/2004042...
http://atrios.blogspot.com /

Here is one of the threads discussing it:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5644679

[warrens]

37. No wonder they're screeching so loudly

Trying the scalded cat defense. Scream loud enough and nobody can think straight. I hope they're nailed to the wall on this one.

The right wing is desperately trying to change the subject to "them liberals don't want us to wiretap damn terraists. The law only protects U.S. citizens, you commies." The issue, of course, is that it has been used on U.S. citizens and what the law calls U.S. persons, meaning people living here legally, citizen or not. No one is saying we can't try to intercept messages from the Russian consulate to Moscow.

They know they fucked up, so they're going to screech and screech and screech, hoping something new will pop up to distract the press and congress.

[Sydnie]

38. We don't know just how many they have used this law against

Was it just the groups we know about (ACLU, QUAKERS, PETA, ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS, etc.), or was it used against say Tom Daschle or say Max Clelan or even Govenor Blanco or Mayor Nagin? Anyone that might threaten their imperial powers could have been (and probably have been) "fair game" for this crowd. Were they tapping Wilson and Plame? Richard Clarke? Who? Where did it stop or where will it stop?

[Sydnie]

33. Here -

Reporter - "In April 2004, President Bush delivered remarks on the Patriot act, and he said at that time , Quote Anytime you hear the United States Government talking about wiretap, it requires, a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed by the way. When we are talking aboutchasing down terrorists, we are talking about getting a court order before we do so. (unquote) Was the President being forthcoming when he made that statement?"

S- "He was talking about in the context of the Patriot Act."

Reporter - "In terms of the American people though, when he said nothing has changed ...

S- "I, I ... I haven't looked back at the remarks there but you are clearly talking about it, as you pointed out, in the context of the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act is another vital tool. That's why the Senate needs to move forward and get that reauthorized now. We can not let that expire, not for a single moment because the terrorist threat is not going to expire. Those tools helped us disrupt plots and prevent attacks and break up terrorist cells. We need those tools for our law enforcement and intelligence community. We urge the Senate to stop the delaying tactics, by the majority of Senators, to stop delaying tactics, to stop filibustering, stop blocking this legislation and get it passed."

Then Scotty just blustered on about the reporter's questions being in relation to the Patriot Act ... as if one statement was exclusive from another where this administration is concerned.

Blah blah blah and a Boogey Boogey to you too Scotty!

Reporter - "

[fooj]

25. Guess Scotty went for a re-programming...

That would explain his MIA for a week or so, right?

[webtrainer]

26. he can't confirm or deny _______________ (fill in the blank)

n/t

[eleny]

27. I see that he's developed a chin tick

He answered a tough question and did the chin-jut. Go on there, Scotty wotty. You jiggle and twitch!

[w13rd0]

28. OMG...

...Scotty was just asked if there were ANY measures that they had considered but rejected as out-of-bounds legally or ethically.

HAHAHA...

I.E. Is there anything you people WON'T do?

[gratuitous]

31. "And how would Congress exercise its oversight function?"

If someone doesn't know something's going on, how can they ask about it?

Gawd, these people are transparent.