The President is Breaking the Law: Congress must do its job

[dweller]

(from MoveOn.org Political Action email)

Petition: http://political.moveon.org/ruleoflaw/

This morning, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testified about the president's illegal domestic spying program. His testimony came one day after Senator Arlen Specter, the Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said that the president violated the law1 and the Washington Post debunked a key Bush administration claim, reporting that the program tapped thousands of innocent Americans and almost no terrorism suspects.2

The White House has already set the stage to stonewall.3 So it's important that our senators demand real answers from the administration.

This is a critical moment. Senators will be gauging public reaction to today's hearing for the next few days. If they don't hear pressure from us, they may let this go. On Wednesday we want to deliver signatures and comments by email to every Senator demanding thorough hearings and a special prosecutor. Can you help us get to 400,000 signatures by Wednesday?


Here is the bottom line: the president is breaking the law. He already has the authority to wiretap suspected terrorists—and we support that—but he chose to reach beyond that. We need to know why he refuses to get warrants and he needs to be held accountable.

Respecting the rule of law isn't a partisan issue, it's a core American principle. That's why prominent conservatives like David Keene, Paul Weyrich and Grover Norquist are outraged by the president's illegal program.4 Even leading Republicans like Chuck Hagel, Lindsey Graham, and Sam Brownback have seriously questioned the president's authority.5 With public criticism mounting, the Bush administration knows they're in big trouble.

If the president can get away with breaking the law now, there's no limit to what he or any other president can do. Together we can stop it now.


This is an important issue and it will help remind Americans, in an election year, what Republicans are all about—accumulating power for themselves, and trampling the system of checks and balances designed to stop that. It's the Senate's job to act as a check on the president's power. If they can't do it, they shouldn't be in Washington.
Thanks for all you do,

–Eli, Nita, Jennifer, Justin and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Monday, February 6th, 2006

P.S. Here is a quick fact-check on some of the arguments that the Bush administration has used to justify their illegal program.

The administration has claimed that the program only spies on those with clear links to Al Qaeda 6

*Fact: The program had FBI Chasing "thousands of tips a month," with many leading to dead ends or innocent Americans.7

The administration has said that obtaining a warrant is too time consuming.

*Fact: They can already immediately place wiretaps and obtain a warrant up to 3 days later. 8

They've argued the program was authorized by Congress in the September 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF)

*Fact: A Congressional Research Service report concludes that the AUMF doesn't authorize the program.9

They've claimed that Congress was informed of the Program.10

*Fact: the Congressional Research Office concluded that "the Bush administration's limited briefings for Congress on the National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping without warrants are 'inconsistent with the law.'" 11

They've said the NSA spying program stopped possible terrorist attacks in the United States 12

*Fact: Programs Uncovered "No imminent plots..inside the United States." 13

Sources:

1. "Specter Criticizes Rationale for Spying," Associated Press, February 5, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1440

2. "Surveillance Net Yields Few Suspects," Washington Post, February 5, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1441

3. "Senate Panel Rebuffed on Documents on Spying," New York Times, February 2, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1442

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

5. Leading Conservatives Call for Extensive Hearings on NSA Surveillance; Checks on Invasive Federal Powers Essential, January 17, 2006
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=59381

6. "Surveillance program protects country, Bush says," USA Today, January 23, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1443

7. "Spy Agency Data After Sept. 11 Led F.B.I. to Dead Ends," New York Times, Jan 17, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1444

8. "A Better Way to Eavesdrop?" Time, February 2, 2006
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1155835,00.html

9. "Report Rebuts Bush on Spying," Washington Post, Jan 7, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1373

10. "Gonzales defends wiretaps amid protest," CNN.com, January 26, 2006 http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/24/nsa.strategy/

11. "Report Questions Legality of Briefings on Surveillance," New York Times, 1/19/06
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1445 (Subsciption required)

12. President Bush's Radio Address, Dec 17, 2005
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1446

13. "Spy Agency Data After Sept. 11 Led F.B.I. to Dead Ends," New York Times, Jan 17, 2006,
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1444
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sign on Good Citizen!
dp

[John Q. Citizen]

1. The only solution is impeachment. It says so in the constitution.

Most at DU are aware of the problem, we just haven't organized and demanded the solution yet.

[dweller]

2. never hurts tho'

to put your John Q. sig on a petition, does it?

thanks for the :kick:

dp

[John Q. Citizen]

3. Never hurts, and petitioning is a demand.

Just thought I'd try to steer things toward the inevitable. hope I didn't let the cat out of the bag. :)