Friday, January 20, 2006

So Gross! So Dangerous! Pentagon -- get ready to defend the American people!

Mikaela says:
Who's the real enemy to the freedom of American people?

Bush & Co. are defending their unilateral and omnipotent legal right to do whatever the hell they want, sending their legions of legal warriors to spread justification for their bullshit.

Administration Paper Defends Spy Program

Detailed Argument Cites War Powers

By Carol D. Leonnig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 20, 2006; Page A01

The Bush administration argued yesterday that the president has inherent war powers under the Constitution to order warrantless eavesdropping on the international calls and e-mails of U.S. citizens and others in this country....

In its legal analysis, the Justice Department contends that "the broad language" of Congress's authorization to use force "affords the President, at a minimum, the discretion to employ the traditional incidents of the use of military force," including the warrantless surveillance program.

The Justice Department also argues that the inherent presidential powers in Article II of the Constitution -- to wage war -- cannot be abridged or impended in the context of a global terrorism fight. Justice lawyers say they believe that the president's powers are consistent with FISA but that if there is any question of a conflict, the president's powers trump FISA.


Meanwhile, the Pentagon issued a memo apologizing for its complicity in domestic spying and ordered agents to go to retrainings on domestic surveillance.

Hmmm... military strife brewing? I think I'd rather have the Pentagon on my side vs. a fewer # of "intelligence" officers. If it comes to that, I think the White House might get thoroughly scrubbed. Scary times, indeed.