Specter Joins DeWine In Trying To Legalize Warrantless Surveillance

[JABBS]

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) is proposing legislation that would force the federal government to obtain permission from a secret court to continue warrantless surveillance.

Specter's proposal would bring the four-year-old National Security Agency program under the authority of the court created by the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Specter's plan could put him at odds with an administration-supported bill proposed by Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH) that would exempt the NSA program from the surveillance law.

But these questions remain: Will Congressional Republicans -- regardless of which legislation they support -- finally acknowledge that warrantless surveillance is illegal? Will they admit that the White House spin that the Bush Administration has "inherent authority" to conduct warrantless surveillance is false?

Because those of us in the reality-based universe remain perplexed by this conundrum: If legislation is necessary to make warrantless surveillance legal, then doesn't that mean that warrantless surveillance is currently illegal?

The Republican-led Congress should know that covering up the White House's illegal activity will not play well with voters come November. Republicans acknowledge they have insufficiently investigated the Bush Administration. But their inability to admit the obvious when it comes to warrantless surveillance is bordering on ridiculous.

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This item first appeared at JABBS.

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. Bush has proven that he should not be trusted with this kind of power.

Dumb ass Republicans won't admit they made a mistake until there's a Democrat in office. This is all temporary to allow Bush slip through the criminal justice net. He broke the law, he got caught, and now they're trying to protect him from suffering the consequences. Shame on all of them.

[JABBS]

2. still

no one wants to explain/admit/acknowledge the basic flaw in logic. if something needs to be made legal, it is currently illegal. but no one wants to say that -- because to do so would mean having to prosecute this administraiton.

[madinmaryland]

3. It sounds like Specter's plan would not exempt NSA

from the court, whereas Dewine's plan would exempt the NSA from the court.