December 27, 2005
WHEN IT STOPPED BEING A RUBBER STAMP IT STOPPED BEING TOLERABLE:
Bush was denied wiretaps, bypassed them (UPI, 12/27/05)
The 11-judge court that authorizes FISA wiretaps modified only two search warrant orders out of the 13,102 applications approved over the first 22 years of the court's operation.But since 2001, the judges have modified 179 of the 5,645 requests for surveillance by the Bush administration, the report said. A total of 173 of those court-ordered "substantive modifications" took place in 2003 and 2004. And, the judges also rejected or deferred at least six requests for warrants during those two years -- the first outright rejection of a wiretap request in the court's history.
Maybe he can go back to the court now that the Clinton appointee quit? Posted by Orrin Judd at December 27, 2005 4:41 PM
Here's a fun mental exercise you can try at home: Imagine the current gaggle of "gotcha" folks on the Left under the following circumstances >> since 9/11/01 USA is (God forbid) struck again by terrorists who used electronic commo that we COULD have sniped but didn't because GWB was worried about trying to get warrants first instead of doing the effective thing: wielding the power the Executive obviously has and should. There'd be NO END to the ranting -- just like now.
Posted by: John Resnick at December 27, 2005 5:58 PMYou nailed it, John. This is solely about Bush-bashing. That's why similar activity by Carter and Clinton are not being criticized.
Posted by: obc at December 27, 2005 7:06 PM