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SharePres. Bush, non-confirming-or-denying the USA Today article, told reporters this morning that its intelligence collection efforts are legal and don't violate civil liberties.
"After September the 11th, I vowed to the Americna people that our govenrment would do everything wtihin the law to protect them against another terroist attack.""There are new claims. I want to make some important points about what the government is doing and what the govenrment is now doing. Our intelligence activities stricly target Al Qaeda and its known affiliates.:
"Al Qaeda is our enemey and we want to know what our enemy is doing."
"The government does not listen to domestic phone calls without court aproval. The intelligence activities I authorized are lawful and have been briefed to appropriate members of congress, both Republicans and Democrats. The privacy of ordinary Americans is fiercely protected."
"We're not mining or trolling through the personal lives of innocent Americans."
First -- that the NSA opens its giant ear to the telephone conversations of Americans is almost American cultural lore -- whether it's accurate or not. (See: Mercury Rising and Enemy of the State and Sneakers and read James Bamford and Google "Echelon."
So collecting and analyzing everyone's telephone records is a step down from that level of assumed privacy invasion.
Politically, Republicans, even in spoling for a political fight over NSA wiretapes, have steeled themselves for revelations that the President's "terrorist surveillance" program accidentally intercepted domestic calls. Such a tangible violation of civil liberties could compromise their perceived political advatange and tip toward civil libertarians the benefit of Americans' doubts.
This ain't that. But it's already flipped at least one Hayden-leaning Dem on the intel committee. Dianne Feinstien of CA has serious reservations. Judiciary chair Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) wants telephone company execs to explain themselves.
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