Two Republicans give best arguments against wiretapping today: Specter and

[jsamuel]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/2/6/191142/2992

Two Republicans give best arguments against wiretapping today: Specter and Graham


One of the best points brought up today during the hearing today on the NSA electronic spying on American citizens was by Senator Lindsay Graham.

Graham (Paraphrasing): "The President is arguing that we cannot pass a law that governs how our troops are to behave during a war (torture). Under your theory of inherent authority, Congress has no power."

At the end of the hearing, Specter said something on target to Alberto Gonzales.

Specter (Paraphrasing): "The President may have a constitutional right to inherent authority, but that doesn't give him the right to ignore Congress' constitutional right to make law."

While I liked many of the things the Democrats said, these two statements were the best arguments I heard for why Gonzales' and the Justice Department's rational is completely bogus.

Feingold, Leahy, and even Biden did very good jobs today, but they left out some of the most important arguments that were made by the two Republican Senators.

Democrats need to rethink how they are going about this. You can get them for lying (that is wonderful to see), but you need to remember to bring up those above points over and over again. Those points reiterate how serious this issue is. Effectively, the Justice Dept. wants us to submit that the President's constitutional powers trump those of Congress.

[rainy]

1. I thought Fineqold was hitting it pretty hard with his questions

concerning other acts Bush may have approved such as searching peoples homes etc. Gonzales could not deny it.

[wtmusic]

3. Schumer as well

asking questions for which there aren't answers. Isn't it rather, er, obvious? :crazy:

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. The point is:

Right now we're fighting in the court of public opinion. If the Dems don't score points now, there will be no public outrage. If there is no public outrage, then the investigations conclude without reprimand and Bush is free to take the next step: To broaden his definition of Al Qaeda to include common American groups which have historically been anti-Republican.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. I noticed the same thing.

The Repubs are better at getting to the point:

It's either illegal, or Congress has no power.

[wtmusic]

4. Graham pounded him on torture

shocked the hell out of me. Are "mainstream" Republicans coming to their senses?

[bunkerbuster1]

7. Maybe "mainstream" republicans want to get re-elected

Maybe they understand that this is a loser issue for Team Bush and no amount of shouting "Terra Terra TERRA" is going to paper over this sordid chapter.

[PhilipShore]

6. Why are the Dems not seeking an injunction?

I am no lawyer, but it seems to me that if the Congress, cannot agree about FISA; then the Dems have every right to go to the courts, to seek an injunction, to order the Congress to apply the law that requires the Repukes to give information to Congress about FISA related issues, and to find thru discovery what the Repuke Congress is covering up about FISA and related issues.

It is going to be in the courts, in any case regardless of the Congressional hearings. Why not take the first step, and take it to the Federal and/or Supreme court?

[Canuckistanian]

8. Doesn't Congress have to approve even an injunction?

I don't think individual members can do it.

[BlueEyedSon]

9. Well, the dems care about our rights, the 'pubs are guarding their power.

[kayice]

10. Gonzales got rather lippy with Specter at the end.....it was nice

to see Specter knock his ass down some.

[jsamuel]

11. kick

[I_Make_Mistakes]

12. Yes, I don't know the Jacksonian argument that Specter said

didn't apply, can anyone explain? It sounded like a principal both agreed on, but Gonzeles did not interpret it correctly, according to Specter.

[jsamuel]

13. kick