Former President Carter: Gonzales' argument ridiculous

[ProSense]

Ex-President Carter: Eavesdropping Illegal

By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 14 minutes ago

HENDERSON, Nev. - Former President Jimmy Carter criticized the Bush administration's domestic eavesdropping program Monday and said he believes the president has broken the law.

Snip...

The former president also rebuked Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for telling Congress that the spying program is authorized under Article 2 of the Constitution and does not violate the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act passed during Carter's administration. Gonzales made the assertions in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which began investigating the eavesdropping program Monday.

"It's a ridiculous argument, not only bad, it's ridiculous. Obviously, the attorney general who said it's all right to torture prisoners and so forth is going to support the person who put him in office. But he's a very partisan attorney general and there's no doubt that he would say that," Carter said. "I hope that eventually the case will go to the Supreme Court. I have no doubt that when it's over, the Supreme Court will rule that Bush has violated the law."

The former president said he would testify before the Judiciary Committee if asked.

"If my voice is important to point of the intent of the law that was passed when I was president, I know all about that because it was one of the most important decisions I had to make."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060207/ap_on_re_us/eavesdropping_carter

[Mark E. Smith]

1. Jimmy Carter is a personal hero of mine.

I hope he gets to testify. His voice is obviously needed.

[fooj]

2. Wow. Carter thinks that the Supreme Court will rule AGAINST Bush.

Now, that's saying something.

Peace.

[radio4progressives]

3. Mr President Carter, have you forgotten who just got confirmed to SCOTUS?

Now there are FIVE out of NINE (majority) of white male catholic, Opus Dei types sitting on Scotus, who will back Bushie on this.

our constitution is now and forever gone, shredded. our democracy is shattered. and the Democratic Party LET IT HAPPEN ON THIER WATCH.

I will never ever forgive those bastards for their vichy votes on Alito, the Bankcruptcy, tax cuts for the rich, and now letting Gonzo off the hook.

The iraq war, the patriot act and on and on and on.

I will never ever ever forgive them. not ever.

they are all worthless and dead as far as i'm concerned. the bastards!

[Tigress DEM]

5. Yah need help, kid, Jimmy is one of the good guys.

I hear every point you are making --- and I agree to hold the ones who blew it accountable, but remember for every DEM who gave in there were some in there fighting for US. Don't slap the wrong people just cause you're freaked.

Not that you don't have every right to be freaked. It sucks to be US right now, but here's the thing, WE THE PEOPLE have to stand behind the DEMS that are doing something, keep on the media to cover pertinent issues and stand up and yell when the insane rhetoric comes up. But we need to yell at the insane in the membrane neocons, not someone like Carter. Like we are fond of saying, that is preaching to the choir.

If WE put enough pressure on, just like with social security we can force Alito to vote correctly. --- Remember, HE said he was going to be fair and impartial. If his record shows he's not, then we can start banging the gavel on him too. SCJ can be IMPEACHED too since they are exec appointees.

WE have to keep the message out there --- it isn't a choice between getting terrorists or doing wiretaps with a warrant. FISA is a secret court with 24X7 judicial access and there is no excuse to skirt it -- unless *ush can't present probable cause to survey someone.

If he doesn't have a real reason that he can articulate, or have someone spell out for him, then he shouldn't be doing it.

Every thing we can get against *ush goes to Impeachment or criminal prosecution. Which of his war crimes might warrant the Hague? When you are in that really dark place see him there trying to figure out why the room service is so bad and he has to piss in a hole in the floor.

[JudyM]

7. I know -- what's he smoking? n/t

[John_H]

4. Carter gets it. This should be required reading

for the senate "rapid response" team who apparently don't understand that letting senators get involved in rational, case-citing debate with the rethugs is playing into the GOP's strategy of making the spying issue seem like a gray-area filled, higly complex, too close to call issue that reasonable people can disagree about but by golly the prznit is going to err toward protecting the 'mercun people.

[wiley]

6. That was before we had a criminal enterprise

running the country. But he's right.

[Tigress DEM]

8. Aw come on, it's only the seventh inning, not the end of the game.

Fitzgerald is ripping things up. The memo PROVING *ush and *lair were twisting facts around policy before Iraq is out there. Cheney has been caught deleting email, that can probably be recovered from his hard drive. Jeb *ush is shredding documents and the FBI has caught him at it too.

Abrahmoff has connections to 70% of the rethugs and is singing like a canary. DeLay is going down. Rove and Libby are up to their necks in the whole Plame thing and there are upward links to Cheney and *ush.

The rethugs are still trying their same old tricks, but we see through them and Carter is speaking for US when he tells the truth. This time it's on real media. Remember when he did the media deal with Conyers? Crickets. Now people are listening because all of us who are pissed off and can't stand the maddness have been sending emails and letters to the papers and Senators and talking to coworkers about the BS.

Remember when if WE said ANYTHING they slammed US down as UNAMERICAN, but now they are listening?

We are having a rough patch, but it isn't game over. So don't head home with that sad sack face. This shit has to rebound back at them. Don't you think if most American's really knew the truth that there would be a march on DC unprescedented in the history of our country?

1% of the population has 57% of the wealth. That is UNREAL. Just make sure anyone who supports *ush to your face gets that and ask them, are you in that 1% and if they are not, tell them *ush doesn't care about you then. Even ol Kenny Boy from Enron who WAS his biggest contributor and Jack Abrahmoff are off his rolodex. You gotta have BIG bucks to be this man's friend.

[mtnsnake]

9. Jimmy Carter is as good & honest as Bush is evil and corrupt

What an admirable human being President Carter is!

[Neil Lisst]

10. Isn't that the truth!?! You called it right. n/t