Senator Brownback Disagrees With Legal Rationale

[babsbunny]

Senator: Bush's Spying Raises Concerns. http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2005/dec/24/senator_bushs_spying_raises_concerns/?city_local. If enough Republican's determine Bush broke the law, can we Impeach him then? Please?

[rodeodance]

1. Sen Roberts said "he agreed with it and thought it was legal."

........

“I do not agree with the legal basis on which they are basing their surveillance — that when the Congress gave the authorization to go to war that that gives sufficient legal basis for the surveillance,” he said.

He said if the justification holds up, “you’re going to have real trouble having future Congresses giving approval to presidents to go to war.”

Earlier this week, U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, acknowledged he was aware of Bush’s secret operation, and that he agreed with it and thought it was legal.

[rodeodance]

3. If you look closely at what he says, Brownback is sitting on the fence.

....Brownback said he wasn’t opposed to the administration conducting surveillance but that the legal basis had to be straightened out.

He said of Roberts, “My colleague Pat Roberts is doing an outstanding job on intelligence. It’s a tough issue.”

And he defended Roberts against criticisms from top Democrats on the Intelligence Committee who have said they had problems with Bush’s operation.

Brownback said the controversy was becoming politicized.

[Toots]

4. He was opposed to not being easily swayed to go to war.

He was afraid that if this illegal activity were to become common place in war time Congress may never authorize war again. Oh the horror...America might not race to war ever again unless of course a Republicaqn was in the Oval Office...These people are truly insane....

[rodeodance]

5. and Alito advocates increasing powers for wiretapping.

He said the best way to examine the issues was to have hearings when Congress reconvenes in January. Brownback is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, whose chairman, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., has already announced that he plans such hearings.

In a related development, it was revealed Friday that Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito advocated a strategy to strengthen the government’s power in ordering domestic wiretaps when he worked for the Reagan Justice Department in 1984.

Asked whether that position espoused by Alito should be part of his confirmation hearing, Brownback, who supports Alito’s nomination, said it should.

“Anything in his record is subject to the hearing and review and should be,” Brownback said.

[atommom]

6. Roberts has been involved with all of this from the beginning.

And he has prevented any thorough investigation of the administration's conduct, so I wouldn't expect him to say anything else now.

It looks to me as if Brownback is just waiting to see which way the wind is blowing before he takes a firm position. He's very ambitious, and leery of doing anything to upset his "base." If the tide eventually turns against Bush and Roberts, I'm sure Brownback will be happy to criticize them then.

[texpatriot2004]

2. Impeachment it's not just for blow jobs anymore nm