Pelosi Accuses Bush Of 'Fearmongering' In Wiretapping Fight

[cal04]

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20080214%5cACQDJON200802141545DOWJONESDJONLINE001011.htm&

President George W. Bush is "fearmongering" to try to force Congress to accept changes to federal wiretapping laws, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Thursday.

Pelosi said there are a number of issues to be hammered out, but the two key sticking points are whether telephone companies should be given retrospective immunity for cooperation with the president's warrantless wiretapping program and whether the president has the constitutional right to ignore federal wiretapping laws.

(snip)
"He has all the authority he needs to protect the American people," Pelosi said. Specifically, if allowing the Protect America Act to expire would really put the U.S. at risk, the president would never have threatened to veto a bill extending it, Pelosi said.

(snip)
Pelosi said that while the president is welcome to participate in those talks "his fearmongering at this stage is not constructive."

[MzNov]

1. Ya just can't get nuthin' past Nancy !

:hi: :hug:

[Miss Chybil]

2. K & R nt

[LiberalFighter]

3. What say you all about Pelosi?

[kestrel91316]

4. I say she talks big.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

6. I say she's doing a good job, just not as good as I hoped

If their was a broader majority,
she'd probably be doing more.

[Marr]

5. Politicians should start framing it as Bush himself being afraid.

Everyone knows his administration has used fear to push their agenda. That's nothing new.

Instead of repeating that obvious fact, why not move the ball down the field a bit? Say, "I don't think the President is just fearmongering-- I believe he is sincerely frightened. But he must get a hold of himself and realize he's asking to be protected in ways no president ever has been. Not even during the Civil War".

Something like that. Frame his requests for more power as acts of cowardice.