Beating around Bush

Mikaeala quotes:

From Washington Post transcript of Monday's press conference with Bush:

Washington Post reporter Peter Baker: Thank you, Mr. President. I wonder if you can tell us today, sir, what, if any, limits you believe there are or should be on the powers of a President during a war, at wartime? And if the global war on terror is going to last for decades, as has been forecast, does that mean that we're going to see, therefore, a more or less permanent expansion of the unchecked power of the executive in American society?

Bush: First of all, I disagree with your assertion of "unchecked power. ... There is the check of people being sworn to uphold the law, for starters. There is oversight. We're talking to Congress all the time, and on this program, to suggest there's unchecked power is not listening to what I'm telling you. I'm telling you, we have briefed the United States Congress on this program a dozen times.

But keep this in mind...Meanwhile, in another room at the White House...

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales says the administration discussed introducing legislation explicitly permitting such domestic spying but decided against it because it 'would be difficult, if not impossible' to pass."

So they did it anyway and just told Congress they did it. Kinda sounds unchecked, no?

Reminds me of that old joke that Emo Phillips uses. When he was a little boy, he prayed and prayed for a bike, but then he realized God didn't work that way. So he just stole one and asked God to forgive him.

Baker and Charles Babington wrote "Bush's remarks left many critics unassuaged .... Nor did he explain why the current system is not quick enough to meet the needs of the fight against terrorism. Under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the NSA in urgent situations can already eavesdrop on international telephone calls for 72 hours without a warrant, as long as it goes to a secret intelligence court by the end of that period for retroactive permission. Since the law was passed in 1978 after intelligence scandals, the court has rejected just five of 18,748 requests for wiretaps and search warrants, according to the government. . . .

Why is that not good enough for these guys? Sounds like they just don't like being subject to checks at all. SCARY.