Gore Denounces Bush Administration for Attack on Civil Liberties

AP ^ | 11/9/03 | Jennifer C. Kerr

[Jean S]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Vice President Al Gore accused President Bush on Sunday of failing to make the country safer after the Sept. 11 attacks and using the war against terrorism as a pretext to consolidate power.

"They have taken us much farther down the road toward an intrusive, 'big brother'-style government - toward the dangers prophesied by George Orwell in his book '1984' - than anyone ever thought would be possible in the United States of America," Gore charged.

Gore, who lost the disputed 2000 presidential election to Bush, said terrorism-fighting tools granted after Sept. 11 amount to a partisan power grab that have led to the erosion of the civil liberties of all Americans.

He was especially critical of the Patriot Act, which expanded government's surveillance and detention power following the terrorist attacks.

Gore chided the administration for what he said was its "implicit assumption" that Americans must give up traditional freedoms in order to be safe from terrorists.

"In my opinion, it makes no more sense to launch an assault on our civil liberties as the best way to get at terrorists than it did to launch an invasion of Iraq as the best way to get at Osama bin Laden," Gore said.

His speech before a crowd of about 3,000 people was sponsored by the liberal activist group Moveon.org, which earlier this year held an online presidential primary in which Howard Dean finished first.

The second sponsor, the American Constitution Society, is a national organization of law students, professors, lawyers and others that says it seek to counter what it characterizes as the dominant, narrow conservative vision of American law today.

AP-ES-11-09-03 1639EST

[T Lady]

The Goron rears his ugly head...again.

-Regards, T.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

Sour grapes from the mother af dung heaps.

[anniegetyourgun]

I tried to watch that weasel on CSPAN earlier....couldn't fend off the waves of nausea....had to switch back to FOXNews.

[nospinzone]

Gore chided the administration for what he said was its "implicit assumption" that Americans must give up traditional freedoms in order to be safe from terrorists.

As opposed to your "not so implicit assumption" that Americans must give up their guns?

"They have taken us much farther down the road toward an intrusive, 'big brother'-style government - toward the dangers prophesied by George Orwell in his book '1984' - than anyone ever thought would be possible in the United States of America," Gore charged.

Oh yes it will be like 1984, the 1984 that saw 49 states elect a Republican president over some tax raising leftie. Give it another year and you'll see. :)

[Mr. Mojo]

Whose civil liberties, exactly? Islamists?

Sorry if I don't shed any tears.

Gore sounds exactly like many posters on FR, unfortunately.

[Holly_P]

"Make every vote count"--- I wish I could make the obnoxious whining sound show in print that Al does so well.

[TerriHaute]

I thank God every day that this man is not the President.

Terri

[Brilliant]

The Democrats are using 911 as a pretext to attack the President.

[Luke Skyfreeper]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Vice President Al Gore accused President Bush on Sunday of failing to make the country safer after the Sept. 11 attacks and using the war against terrorism as a pretext to consolidate power.

"They have taken us much farther down the road toward an intrusive, 'big brother'-style government - toward the dangers prophesied by George Orwell in his book '1984' - than anyone ever thought would be possible in the United States of America," Gore charged.

This is from the Onion, right?

[Cicero]

Why does AP consider this to be news?

[Brilliant]

Gore chided the administration for what he said was its "implicit assumption" that Americans must give up traditional freedoms in order to be safe from terrorists.

"In my opinion, it makes no more sense to launch an assault on our civil liberties as the best way to get at terrorists than it did to launch an invasion of Iraq as the best way to get at Osama bin Laden," Gore said.

Gore's opinion is not worth anymore than any person's on the street.

[ShandaLear]

I keep hearing this but so far I haven't seen any evidence that anyone's civil liberties have been taken away. Is there a list of pending cases anywhere? Thanks.

[KC_Conspirator]

Oh yeah, "if Algore was president he would have done the same thing that Bush did". I hope now people realize that quotes like this, heard from democrats and liberals, are totally false. If Gore was president, we would all be speaking arabic by now.

[Paulus Invictus]

How many RATS voted for the Patriot Act? Hmmmm?

[Hugin]

Gore, who lost the disputed 2000 presidential election to Bush, said terrorism-fighting tools granted after Sept. 11 amount to a partisan power grab that have led to the erosion of the civil liberties of all Americans.

Wasn't the Patriot Act was passed by an overwhelming majority of both parties? Ol' Algore is still lying as usual.

[petercooper]

Could you imagine if he had won in 2000. Yikes! He'd still be negotiating with that one-eyed Taliban dude for turnover of UBL.

[Normal4me]

"Why does AP consider this to be news? "

Because it bashes President Bush! Facts nor substance matter as long as Someone has something negative to say about President Bush.

[Prime Choice]

Let me see if I got this straight:

Gore and crew went out of their way to annihilate our Second Amendment RIGHTS (in the name of security, of course), and he's actually got the cojones to accuse Bush of violating civil rights??

Pot -> Kettle -> Black -> Gore.

[cajun-jack]

Terri...he probably does too!!!! lol