If Americans we're talking with Al Qaeda, wouldn't that be in the news?

[CoffeeCat]

So, the White House has been spying on Americans--but only those who are talking with Al Qaeda.

Junior swears up and down that he's only listening in on conversations between terrorists calling from overseas to Americans. As Junior said, "If Al Qaeda's callin ya. We want to know about it."

They've been spying for a long, long time. At least a few years now.

If there had been ONE case of an American who was conversing with a known Al Qaeda operative--wouldn't that person be in custody now? Wouldn't that person be arrested? Wouldn't that person be all over the media, and detained without counsel like Padilla and others--right now?

If Bob from Walla Walla or Shirley from Flagstaff--had been chatting it up with their Al Qaeda friends, don't you think we would have heard about this by now?

So is the spying program a complete failure? Or are Americans just not talking with Al Queda?

Or possibly--is the government less interested in terrorist conversations between Americans and more interested in spying on anyone they damn well please?

[leftstreet]

1. It'd be HUGE news. 24/7 coverage. The AlQaeda Rosenbergs

The Crime Syndicate would be using them as a powerful political badge.

"Yep. The Al Qaeda Scare. We're tough on Terra!"

[CoffeeCat]

3. Yes...

If this administration had caught ANY American talking with Al Qaeda, we would know about it.

The administration would showcase that person on every media outlet--and they would use this person
to demonstrate how "tough on terror" they are--exactly as you said.

There are no Americans talking with Al Qaeda, just like there weren't any WMD in Iraq.

They want to spy on Americans so they invent reasons to do so. They wanted to go into Iraq, so they invented reasons to do so.

[Straight Shooter]

2. They're probably eavesdropping on anyone who says "al Qaeda"

in their conversation, and of course numerous and other sundry words which may define us as an enemy of the State.

They want us to think they're being successful, but probably if they had caught someone, that person would have been sent special delivery to one of our outsourced Torturers-R-Us facilities.

[Dhampir Kampf]

4. Exactly.

Next time a person defends BushCo's policy of spying, ask that person, "Can you name one American, or even Al Qaeda member, that BushCo has caught because of this?". They won't be able to answer.

[rodeodance]

5. but but --its a secret.

[CoffeeCat]

6. The only secrets in this administration...

...are the ones they don't realize, about themselves.

They don't realize how fucking foolish they appear.

They assume that the masses are pliable lemmings, just waiting for the big, impressive
pResident to tell us what we can think.

They're all living in a fantasy world of corruption and thuggery and they can't see straight.

They're classless dorks who think that lying, stealing, criminal behavior and corruption are
way cool.

They're total classless goombahs who with a bloated sense of self importance.

Just a hint, thugs--we're not impressed, we don't care and you're not worthy of cleaning
the scum off of my bathtub tile--let alone setting policy for my country.

I usually don't follow the advice of fools who show up for meetings acting all arrogant and pretending to be a cowboy.

One usually has to attend a monster truck rally to be around such backwards nimrods.

[FoxNewsSucks]

7. 4 + years of spying

and they can't catch a 6 1/2 foot tall Saudi, armed with a tape recorder, running from cave to cave dragging his dialysis machine like a carry-on.

[newyawker99]

9. Hi FoxNewsSucks!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[FoxNewsSucks]

10. Thanks!

Out here in the midwest, it seems pretty "red" sometimes!!

[Garbo 2004]

8. Even the Moonie Insight mag said the spying program is a failure.

Their intel sources told them that AQ has known for years that electronic communications are subject to intercept so they use couriers.

So instead you've got the Administration surveilling "dangerous" folks like Quaker peace protestors and vegans. Yes, the Administration is more interested in spying on their critics than tracking down actual "terraists."