This is HILARIOUS !
Go DEMS !
Got this email from Josh McConaha (democraticparty@democrats.org)
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Shortly after it was revealed that the Bush Administration had been using the National Security Agency to spy on American citizens without oversight by any court, Governor Dean sent an email asking you to join him in signing a Freedom of Information Act request demanding that the White House release Justice Department memos outlining the supposed authority for this illegal program.
The response to this request was overwhelming, and new signers came in daily for the past two weeks.
We spent the past few days printing all 160,000 requests, boxed them up, and DNC General Counsel Joe Sandler, blogger Tim Tagaris and I drove downtown to the Department of Justice and formally submitted them. Joe did the talking and I took the pictures -- you can see them here:
http://www.democrats.org/foiadelivery The Justice Department has to respond within 20 days. But we may hear from them sooner -- a judge on the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which exists to provide a crucial check on executive power while allowing maximum flexibility to our intelligence services, has demanded the administration explain the supposed legal authority for this domestic spying program. The hearing will take place on Monday.
Your 160,000 requests demand exactly the same information. This gets to the core of the domestic spying scandal: we need to know what authority this administration thinks it has to conduct a program like this not only to get to the bottom of this illegal activity, but to understand just what this administration thinks it can and cannot do. Reports suggest that the vague assertion of authority to spy on Americans may be part of a larger claim of blanket authority to conduct all kinds of blatantly illegal activity - from improper detentions to torture.
George Bush himself said on the campaign trail in 2004 that any wiretap "requires a court order". But he recently admitted that years before that statement, he had personally directed our intelligence agencies to conduct surveillance on Americans without going to any court for a warrant - even though secret warrants could be obtained up to 3 days after the surveillance had begun.
It's clear that our Constitution and the rule of law mean very little to this president -- and we've seen this kind of secrecy and abuse of power before. The DNC Communications team put together a short video that looks at George Bush's Nixon-like justification for the actions he ordered:
http://www.democrats.org/wiretapBack in 1755, Benjamin Franklin said, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
This administration, whose strategy for fighting terror involves unnecessary illegal wiretaps on Americans, seems to have given us exactly what Franklin predicted. Democrats will protect our nations liberty and security.
Thank you for stepping up and demanding accountability. We will be sure to keep you updated as this important story evolves.
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