SOURCE: REUTERS · ASSOCIATED PRESS · AFP · DRUDGE REPORT
Sen. Clinton Blasts Bush on Eavesdropping
Jan 25 2:29 PM US/Eastern
By RON FOURNIER
AP Political Writer
WASHINGTON
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday called President Bush's explanations for eavesdropping on domestic telephone calls "strange" and "far-fetched," launching a blistering attack on the White House ahead of the president's State of the Union address.
"Obviously, I support tracking down terrorists. I think that's our obligation. But I think it can be done in a lawful way," the New York Democrat said.
Clinton, a potential 2008 presidential candidate, told reporters she did not yet know whether the administration's warrantless eavesdropping broke any laws. But the senator said she did not buy the White House's main justifications for the tactic.
"Their argument that it's rooted in the authority to go after al-Qaida is far-fetched," she said in an apparent reference to a congressional resolution passed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack. The Bush administration has argued that resolution gave the president authority to order such electronic surveillance as part of efforts to protect the nation from terrorists.
"Their argument that it's rooted in the Cons ution inherently is kind of strange because we have FISA and FISA operated very effectively and it wasn't that hard to get their permission," she said. The super-secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court was established by Congress to approve eavesdropping warrants, even retroactively, but Bush has argued that the process often takes too long.
Clinton leveled her criticism at a meeting of the nation's mayors while Bush toured the National Security Agency, which conducts the eavesdropping. The tour was part of the White House's aggressive campaign to defend the practice of eavesdropping on calls and other communications made overseas from the United States.
Polls suggest the public is divided on whether the administration should be able to eavesdrop on suspected terrorist calls, a practice that has draw criticism from many congressional Democrats, human rights and civil liberties groups. Bush and his political team have signaled that the eavesdropping program will be a campaign issue in November, part of a broader strategy to cast Democrats as weak on terrorism.
A majority of people _ 56 percent _ said the Bush administration should be required to get a warrant before monitoring phone conversations and Internet communications between American citizens and suspected terrorists, according to an AP-Ipsos poll earlier this month.
But when people have been asked in other polls to balance their worries about terrorist threats against their worries about intrusions on privacy, fighting terror is the higher priority.
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
================================================== ======
Notice she didn't say it was illegal or to stop it. And notice she
doesn't really have a better plan to protect US.
Notice what Bush says about wiretapping to chase down terrorists.Notice she didn't say it was illegal or to stop it. And notice she doesn't really have a better plan to protect US.
"Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so."
-Dubya
Also, note that he said if he thought it was illegal why would I brief congress!
OG, and your point being?
Hillary is on record saying she doesn't know if the NSA program was illegal.
"but...it can be done in a lawful way" implies that Hillary doesn't think the prez's current MO is lawful (or legal).
she has to appeal to her left wing supporters... hillary playing moderate one day.. then radical leftist the next.... nothing has changed.. maybe thats why she only has like 16% backing now for her presidential bid.....
CNNGALLUP SHOCK POLL: ONLY 16% FIRM ON HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT
Wed Jan 25 2006 10:50:26 ET
Most voters now say there's no way they'd vote for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton if she runs for president in 2008 - while just 16 percent are firmly in her camp, a stunning new poll shows.
CNNGALLUP found that 51 percent say they definitely won't vote for Clinton (D-N.Y.) in 2008, another 32 percent might consider it, and only 16 percent vow to back her. That means committed anti-Hillary voters outnumber pro-Hillary voters by 3-1. The poll suggests she can forget about crossover votes - 90 percent of Republicans and 75 percent of conservatives say there's no way they'd back her.
Meanwhile, 46% said they would oppose Secretary of State Rice if she ran for President - a step Rice has repeatedly said she won't take.
END
Hillary is an idiot.
She is going to get owned one day.
All Bush has to do is on his next speech mention hillary and start coughing and saying BJ in between the coughs...
I am sick of that .
I like how bush would prefer the wiretaps to be known as terrorist surrvaliance. yeah george, it makes it a lot easier if you already have a presumption of guilt. ridiculous. almost as ridiculous as the policies hillary would support. they're both morons.
The Branch Davidian Children are not available for comment....
^^^ Niether are the thousands from the 9/11 attack that Bush was warned about in the CIA briefing he ignored.
Once again no connection. Clinton personally harmed the branch davidians, The terrorist harmed the 911 victims. If we would of stopped the hijackers it would of been done through illegal wiretapping and other uncons utional means, something you would of impeached bush for. Damned if you do, damned if you dont.
And second of all what CIA memo was around that stated the specifics of the 911 attack before it happened?
Something you're opposed to anyway, so you should think before you say something pathetic.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
