[Keith in Iowa]

Bring it on Arlen...ya RINO putz.

[Williams]

Fools and traitors. Different motive, same result.

[Cicero]

I'm hoping that Specter is just posturing for his liberal base. He did a good job with Roberts and Alito, right after he gave a pro-abortion interview to the press.

Maybe he's establishing his liberal credentials with all this talk but will not put it through. If he's "persuaded" that it's legal a little later, after taking this "tough" stand, that could actually be helpful.

We'll see.

[popdonnelly]

Anyone want to do anything to protect this country from terrorist attacks?

[MJY1288]

Horse Hockey

This comes from that RINO woman who is worried about being reelected, she will lose her bid for reelection because of her stand on this issue.

Only a fool would call for binding the hands of the President to eavesdrop on international phone calls inbound and outbound to known or suspected Terrorists

[frankjr]

So what is Specter going to do about it? Have more hearings to more fully expose these "secret" programs??

[p23185]

Hey, get it up to the Supreme Court if necessary. This is nothing more than the Congresscritters wanting the President to come to them for permission and a law for everything. The LLL rants on about "Saving the Constitution" and yet the Congress wants to make sure they are the superior of the three branches. If Congress hasn't written a law then it has to be illegal?? What happened to the powers granted the President in the Constitution? Get it up to SCOTUS.

[drlevy88]

Mr Specter's threat is only the latest sign that the NSA spying revelations have divided Republicans, with some in the party fearing that Mr Bush's expansive claims may pose a danger to civil liberties.

Maybe they're thinking ahead to President Hillary.

[oceanview]

if it goes anywhere, its going right to the SCOTUS. we've got a good chance at a 5-4 win there.

[JennysCool]

Congress is revolting, all right.

[Malesherbes]

The Financial Times, although a business paper, is no friend of the USA.

[wmfights]

"Arlen Specter, Republican chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, said on Wednesday he was drafting legislation that would require the administration to seek a ruling from a special US intelligence court on whether the spying programme was legal."
__________________________________________

What an idiot. The Pubs are winning big on this issue. Americans want to win the war not conduct criminal investigations of terrorists. We don't want judges on battlefields.

Even if the passed some bill, would it be binding?

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

Congressional Republicans are for the most part, weak willed, spineless, fools who panic at the first sign of discord. Ask Packwood, Gingrich, Livingstone, Lott, DeLay .....

[Lakeshark]

I'm presuming this is wishful thinking on part of the MSM.

Any pubbie who would actually posture like this needs to have their heads examined.

[Athwart]

Congressional Republicans are threatening to force a legal showdown...

I don't see any Republicans actually mentioned in the article. Just Specter.

[zaggs]

Arlen wants to step up and get smacked down so be it. FISA as they want to use it for the NSA program is an unconstitutional limit of the executives branch's core power, as decided by the courts, by the legislative branch. So yeah Arlen force a show down which when after you expose the details you get shown to be the one acting in an unconstitutional way, that will look great on your resume.

[Porterville]

Republican revolt? Dream on losers.... we stand by our president and take on our phony congressmen.

[demlosers]

These stupid Senators are a bunch of posturing sycophants.

They know damn well the President has the power to listen to international calls into and out of the US in a time of war -- with or with FISA approval

[F16Fighter]

Oh, BS.

[Boot Hill]

article:   "Arlen Specter...said on Wednesday he was drafting legislation that would require the administration to seek a ruling from a special US intelligence court on whether the spying programme was legal."

This bozo just doesn't get it!

Not only doesn't Congress have the power to infringe on the executives authority to conduct warrantless foreign intelligence gathering, they also don't have the power to "require" the President to go before any court to seek a ruling on any matter. It's none of their damn business!

Does Darlin' Arlen have to be taken to the woodshed and re-taught the fundamentals of the separation of powers doctrine? Or does he just think that mob rule by Congress is above the law?