The Abuse of Power by President Bush and Vice President Cheney

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Let's take a look at the premise behind the President not going to the FISA Court for approval of Wire-tapping of Americans who are receiving or making phone calls overseas to or from possible Al Qaida suspects. One premise cited is that it would take too long to go to the Court and ask for the approval and that the process is slowed down. Well this was provided for within the law and the law allows for the President to go to the Court as late as 72 hours after the wire-tapping and getting post approval. That would seem like plenty of time to do it. However, let's assume it would help us if they had 5 days or 120 hours to get the approval. Why didn't the President ask the Congress for this change. He had 4 years of wire-tapping to consider extending the law but he chose not to use that approach.

There is another possibility which has not been considered. Maybe, just maybe, they are doing so many wiretaps. They are listening into ALL calls going oversees and then following up on many. Maybe this program is a lot larger than we have been led to believe. And maybe, just maybe, since they are wire-tapping Americans, there are some abuses that have nothing to do with Al Qaida. Maybe there are political Wire-taps as well from a paranoid Vice President and a President. But we know this President is led by the nose by this Vice President when it comes to secrecy and witholding of information to the public. Just remember the Energy policy that Cheney was responsibe for putting together. But when the Press asked who he met with, he wouldn't say. Why? Because he didn't want anyone to know he just met with the Oil leaders and not environmentalists. So how did that Energy policy work out? Who benefited from the policy? The Oil companies! Both Bush and Cheney were previously Oil men. And does the name Halliburton, and no bid contracts, jog something in your memory bank? OIl prices back before Cheney's Energy policy went forward were $40-45/barrel and now it is $70/barrel. Oh, and to help with prices, we destabilized the Middle East and invaded Iraq with little evidence to support the existence of Weapons of Mass Destruction by Saddam Hussein, and now we learn, against the advice of many in the CIA. Hmmmm, I wonder what the plan for Iran is, given we really do know they are pursuing them without a doubt? So do I trust the President and the Vice President? What do you think?!

Getting back to the wire-tapping issue, the argument is that the NSA has requested these taps and that they determine who the "suspected Al Qaida terrorists" are, they choose who gets wire-tapped, and therefore are to be trusted. And we are suppose to trust and to assume there are no abuses of this power. If that premise is true, then how come the person or persons who blew the whistle on this program are NSA personnel who were uncomfortable with what they were doing and possibly who they were wire-tapping. They thought it was breaking the law! We have here a President and an Administration who have abused power before. Authorization and justification of the use of torture was first written by former Presidential Counsel Alberto Gonzales and current Attorney General. He has also claimed the President's right to do wire-tapping of Americans is Constitutional. Who says so? And who can trust Attorney General Gonzales? I surely don't and why aren't more people outraged that a Special Counsel has not been appointed and why hasn't the Republican Congress which has oversight insisted that Gonzales recuse himself? I'll tell you why. IT'S A CONSPIRACY AND DON"T LET ANYONE TELL YOU DIFFERENTLY. If you believe them I have some land in the swamps of Florida or the devastation in and around New Orleans I want to sell you real cheap or possibly a car that was flooded.