I transcribed this off my feed of The Radio Factor. If I'm right, then not every Right-Winger is enthralled by the NSA. On the politics of this, he makes, on the face of it some cogent remarks.:
Smerconish: (Inaudible) ... and I'm Michael Smerconish with the pleasure of pinch-hitting for the big guy. You may recall from my prior visits that I do Morning Drive on Bill's Philadelphia affiliate we call ourselves the uh, The Big Talker 12:10 AM. I'm also the author of a new book that's called "Muzzled". Yesterday USA Today broke that big story, and it has continued to dominate the news cycle the last 24 hours.
Smerconish: (Inaudible) ... and I'm Michael Smerconish with the pleasure of pinch-hitting for the big guy. You may recall from my prior visits that I do Morning Drive on Bill's Philadelphia affiliate we call ourselves the uh, The Big Talker 12:10 AM. I'm also the author of a new book that's called "Muzzled". Yesterday USA Today broke that big story, and it has continued to dominate the news cycle the last 24 hours. The story that says that the NSA has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans using data provided by AT&T, Verizon, BellSouth, but not Qwest which is based out west in Denver. I believe. The president made a brief statement on the issue yesterday morning. I attribute this by the way, to Tony Snow, this, this, fast response, and I think it's in the President's best interest to be more aggressive. Here's part of what the President had to say:
Bush: "I vow to the American people, that our government will do everything within the law to protect them against another terrorist attack. Today there are new claims about other ways we are tracking down the al Qaeda to prevent attacks on America. I want to make some important points about what the government is doing, and what the government is not doing. First, our intelligence activities strictly target al Qaeda, and their affiliates. Al Qaeda is our enemy, and we want to know their plans. Second, the government does not listen to domestic phone calls, without court approval. Third, the intelligence activities I have authorized are lawful, and have been briefed to appropriate members of Congress, both Republican and Democrat. Fourth, the privacy of ordinary Americans is fiercely protected in all our activities. We're not mining, or trolling, through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans. It's to protect the American people from another attack. And we will do so within the laws of our country."
Smerconish: I've got a hunch one day into this story, eh from, from my vantage point of having read thoroughly of the news coverage on the NSA revelations from USA Today. By the way, the uh, the, the, timing, coincidence? I think not. But, having read thoroughly the news coverage, having watched it all on television, and having spent considerable time discussing this issue on my own program in Philly, and taking calls on it, I see no blood drawn. In other words, it seems to me like everyone is wearing their usual jersey. Those who you expect to oppose it, uh, and those who are more aggressive in the war on terror, they all tend to have the attitude of what you'd expect them to offer. I'll tell you what I'm going to do as a matter of fact. I'm going to run an affirmative action program. Please don't tell Bill when he returns. But wait, I want you to call The Radio Factor only, and I'll probably be looking at a dozen, just silent lines. I want you to call The Radio Factor now only if up until this moment you've been supportive of an aggressive posture in the war on terror, you've been supportive of the notion of, of the NSA doing some level of eavesdropping on international calls, but you just can't take it. This is too much. The revelation that phone numbers and calling patterns, not identities, are being crunched. And that this data mining operation, for lack of a better way to describe it, has pushed you over the edge. If that is your view, call The Radio Factor at 1- 877 - 9 NO SPIN, `cause I need to hear from you. I don't think that those individuals exist in any significant number. I think instead what you have are people who are of the mindset either that if, if you're not uh, making phone calls with members of al Qaeda, uh, you needn't worry about that. You know the mindset, keep your nose clean, and have no fear. And I think that in large part, people who believe that their privacy is being threatened are, are now going to believe even more so that their privacy is being threatened. Will I be proven incorrect? In other words, can we sustain conversations here, from individuals and uh, I'm going to uh, you know, give you the hairy eyeball, and administer some truth serum, because you are going to have to convince me that up until now, you've been supportive of the Bush administration posture relative to the war on terror. That you were not concerned about the initial reports, you know, Risen and the Times, uh, and the initial reports that said that we are indeed, we the NSA, listening in on phone calls, that are international in their uh, point of origin. But right now, it's, it's folks who've got to say to me: "No, no, I, I, I've been, I've been supportive, but this has just pushed me over the line." USA Today coming forth with a story in yesterday's newspaper that says the National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth. Uh, I'm one of the only people, that I'm aware of, who, who straddles the middle on this issue. And by that I mean that my own take is that, I want us in that never ending battle, that balancing act between civil liberties and, and being tough relative to radical Islam, to always coming down on the side of being tough with radical Islam. I just can't for the life me understand why in this particular case, the administration didn't approach the F.I.S.A. apparatus, because it's a "rubber stamp", and that's what they exist to do. And they didn't do so. My hunch? They're fishing with awfully wide net, and were convinced that they couldn't get the necessary court approval even via F.I.S.A., to do that which they are doing today. I, bottom line, I want'em to spy. Just spy according to the rules, and, and do it through the lawful means, because I think there are sufficient lawful means to get the job done.
Once again I invite your input. it'll make my blog all the better.