MoveOn Counter Media Blitz: Tell The Media Bush Is NOT Above The Law!!

[samhsarah]

Tell the Media: No President is Above the Law

Dear MoveOn member,

President Bush launched a new political campaign yesterday to defend his apparently illegal eavesdropping program with a speech in Kansas, where he said, "If I wanted to break the law, why was I briefing Congress?"1

There's a simple answer to that question: he wasn't briefing Congress.2

We need to send a strong message: The president is not above the law and his arguments just don't stand up to the facts. Writing a letter to the editor today is a great way to send that message. Will you write one? Our goal is to send 10,000 letters today. You can do it in a few minutes; our tool makes it easy:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1399&id=6706-6592180-eZuauWtGXO7KY_A3qWILGw&t=1

Together, if tens of thousands of us write, we'll make an impression on the editorial boards. Politicians pay attention to the opinion pages of newspapers. Seeing letters from concerned Americans will send them the message that we're not going to let the president off the hook that easily. Our tool allows you to find papers near you and submit your letter online. We even provide talking points.

Wiretapping Americans without a warrant appears to violate the Constitution and the president has admitted to doing just that.3 Here are checks on some of the things President Bush has been saying to defend his apparently illegal program:

*

This is not about tracking terrorists, it's about a potential breach of the Constitution. The administration says the spying program is narrow,4 and even said it's limited to people with ties to Al Qaeda.5 But the president already has the authority to track terrorists. Further, the New York Times reports the facts differently, saying the data was overwhelming and often led to innocent Americans.6
*

Republicans and Democrats believe the president may have broken the law. The White House is claiming that Democrats are the only ones objecting to the program7 However, Republicans like Lindsey Graham, Sam Brownback, John McCain and Arlen Specter have offered some of the harshest criticism of the program.8
*

Congress did not give the president authority to conduct the secret program. The White House has claimed the authority to conduct secret wiretaps because of a Congressional resolution passed after 9/11.9 The non-partisan Congressional Research Service found that the resolution didn't authorize the program,10 and found it "unlikely" that any court would agree with the White House's justifications.11

Legally, the president is in dangerous waters. But he could get away with this if it's not clear that Americans care about the issue. Will you write a letter to the editor today?

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1399&id=6706-6592180-eZuauWtGXO7KY_A3qWILGw&t=2

From his claims of authority to conduct secret wiretaps to his nomination of Samuel Alito, President Bush is sending a message that the laws of the land shouldn't apply to him. The president had the Constitutional authority to track terrorists but he reached beyond it. Now he wants the Senate to confirm Alito to the Supreme Court for life even though Alito favors expanding executive power without checks on it.

Together, we can make sure he does not get away with undermining one of the core values enshrined in our Constitution—protection against abuse of power by a system of checks and balances.

Thanks for all you do,

–Eli, Nita, Wes, Carrie and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Tuesday, January 24th, 2006

P.S. You can get a more thorough fact-check of the administration's arguments here:
http://political.moveon.org/ruleoflaw/facts.html.

1. President Discusses Global War on Terror at Kansas State University, White House: News and Policies, January 23, 3006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1400

2. "Congressional Agency Questions Legality of Wiretaps," Washington Post, January 19, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1404

3. "Official: Bush Authorized Spying Multiple Times," Associated Press, December 16, 2005
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10488458/

4. Press Briefing by Scott McClellan, January 3, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1381

5. "White House steps up defense of domestic spying," USA Today, January 22, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1406

6. "Spy Agency Data After Sept. 11 Led F.B.I. to Dead Ends," New York Times, January 17, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1382

7. Setting the Record Straight: Democrats Continue to Attack Terrorist Surveillance Program, White House News Release, January 22, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1405

8. "FACT: Members of Both Parties Believe Bush Broke the Law," Thinkprogress, January 23, 2006
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/01/23/both-parties//p>

9. "Bush Administration's Defense," New York Newsday, December 20, 2005
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1385

10. "Report Rebuts Bush on Spying," Washington Post, January 19, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1373

11. "Congressional Agency Questions Legality of Wiretaps," Washington Post, January 19, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1404

[Catrina]

1. Why do they say 'appears to violate the law?' Warrantless searches DO

violate the law.

They violate the 4th Amendment of the Constitution and they violate the Fisa law.

Adding the appeasing words 'appears to' leaves the impression that we are not certain.

I am certain that they violate the law. Most legal experts are certain.

Look at the difference in the language used by the rightwing ~ even though they couldn't be more wrong, they are 'certain that Bush did NOT violate the law' and that's what the public hears, and thinks that if THEY are so certain, but those who disagree only THINK he violated the law, then he must not have!!

I will write my own letters ~ because I AM certain. It doesn't 'appear' to me, it is right there in the Constitution, and that's good enough for me.

[samhsarah]

2. And you should...

I have seen some of your posts before and you are a great writer. I think MoveOn has the right intention, though. The wording may not be right, but the push to get the media to call Shrub on his lies is the right idea.

[Catrina]

3. Hi samhsarah, I am sorry. I should have added that I am glad Moveon

is doing this ~ they have access to so many people and can get far more results than people just doing it on their own.

I didn't mean to put down the effort, I do support it. I just worry that if we are not firm, especially when, as in this case, the law is on our side, the right will jump on any opening they see as they have in the past.

Thanks for posting it, and I hope thousands of people will respond ~ and thank you for the compliment, btw :blush:

[samhsarah]

4. anytime!

:toast:

[Uncle Joe]

5. Excellent post samhsarah.

I do believe they are trying to change the focus from Bush broke the law to the law needs to be changed.

:kick:

[samhsarah]

6. thanks!