Dick Cheney, with they usual neo-con lying and distracting, today again put forward the usual lies in regards to Spygate, implying that the FISA-authorized wiretaps of terrorists, which they never challenged the legal way, didn't provide enough authority to thwart the next terrorist attack:
http://news.yahoo.com/...
Cheney, in speech excerpts released by the White House, called President George W. Bush's decision to intercept "a certain category of terrorist-linked international communications" a vital step.
I don't remember hearing the discussion about a lack of authority!
A "certain category"... Cheney is such a simpleton who tries to act SO official and complex. Don't be fooled America by his latest attempt at rhetorical largesse.
Lie:
"He [Bush] has made clear from the outset, both publicly and privately, that our duty to uphold the law of the land admits no exceptions in wartime," Cheney said.
Except when pesky laws get in the way...
Lie:
Cheney said as more time passes since the September 11 attacks, "some in Washington are yielding to the temptation to downplay the ongoing threat to our country, and to back away from the business at hand."
Citizens and politicians from both political parties simply want some accountabitity of YOU Cheney per FISA after Nixon's wiretapping abuses (remember, your OTHER corrupt boss?).
Democracy, which you claim to spread but actually aim to kill, requires a process among three co-equal branches of government. I don't recall you saying FISA restricted you when appealing for more authority, I just recall a power grab?!?!?!
Lie and distract:
"This is perhaps a natural impulse, as time passes and the alarms don't sound," he said.
FISA provides authority to wiretap.
Lie and distract:
But he said "America has been protected not by luck but by sensible policy decisions by decisive action at home and abroad and by round-the-clock efforts on the part of people in law enforcement, intelligence, the military, and homeland security."
You can (and after a judicial smackdown WILL) go to FISA to get the job done with oversight.
Meanwhile, Bush quietly bypasses the veto-proof ban on torture using the same justification to bypass FISA with his "signing statement":
http://www.boston.com/...
''The executive branch shall construe [the law] in a manner consistent with the constitutional authority of the President . . . as Commander in Chief," Bush wrote, adding that this approach ''will assist in achieving the shared objective of the Congress and the President . . . of protecting the American people from further terrorist attacks."
Who needs a Constitution and laws?