Court ruling endorses Bush surveillance policy (Where is all the yelling now?)

ap ^ | 1/15/2009 | PETE YOST

[tobyhill]

A special appeals court for the first time has upheld a Bush administration program of warrantless surveillance.

In a ruling released Thursday, the court embraced the Protect America Act of 2007, which required telecommunications providers to assist the government for national security purposes in intercepting international phone calls and e-mails to and from points overseas.

The decision, which involves the gathering of foreign intelligence, was made last August but only released Thursday after it had been edited to omit classified information.

An unidentified telecommunications company had challenged the law.

The U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review said the time needed to get a court warrant would hinder the government's ability to collect time-sensitive information, impeding vital national security interests.

The challenge to the law has presented no evidence of any actual harm or any broad potential for abuse, the court's three judges concluded.

[omega4179]

Constitution shredded before B.Hussein even sworn in.

[dirtbiker]

I wonder if the libbies will want some “cheese” to go with their “whine”....

[tobyhill]

The MSM and Libs will give an Obama a free pass when he uses the same tools used by the Bush administration. We won't hear a word about it. Bush should have had the traitors at the Slimes and the leakers prosecuted for treason the moment this program was leaked.

[RangerM]

Where is all the yelling now?

It's been muted by an "inconvenient" truth.

< /irony >

[meyer]

In a few days, the “Bush surveillance policy” will become the “Obama surveillance policy”.

[tobyhill]

Of course and we won't hear a word about how “Obama is a lawbreaker”.

[driftdiver]

And this is why I didn’t support internal wiretaps for Bush. Because we didn’t know who was next.

[tobyhill]

I expect our “leaders” to do what is legal and necessary to protect America and that is why I'm glad Bush did it, Obama should do it. Clinton should have but didn't do it.

[dirtbiker]

The MSM and Libs will give an Obama a free pass when he uses the same tools used by the Bush administration.

No doubt, but the libs will whine like mules (jackasses that they are) when Bush's name is mentioned.

BDS is chronic and incurable....

[driftdiver]

“I expect our “leaders” to do what is legal and necessary to protect America”

Legal is anything you say it is. Our politicians have no respect for the ‘law’. They twist it to mean anything they want. I’d prefer our leaders do what is moral.

Chasing terrorists is moral. Wiretapping US Citizens without a warrant is not moral.

[samtheman]

Constitution shredded before B.Hussein even sworn in.

It "involves the gathering of foreign intelligence", not the shredding of the Constitution.

I support Bush, and this court, on this issue.

I do agree with your tagline, though:

Bush Abandoned Ramos and Compean

I kept remembering that throughout Bush's farewell address last night.

[Hoodat]

The court made the correct decision here. It simply affirms what they said in 2002, i.e. that FISA (or any other act of Congress) cannot encroach upon the President's inherent authority to conduct warrantless seaches for gathering foreign intelligence. It is the same authority President Clinton used to physically search the home of Aldrich Ames without a warrant.

This is not a Fourth Amendment issue since anything gathered from such a warrantless search cannot be used in a criminal prosecution.

[tobyhill]

The courts have said it is legal. I think the FISA court made the right decision here but it sounds like you disagree with the court's ruling?

[driftdiver]

The courts said abortion was legal. They’ve said you have a constitutional right to marry the same sex. Do you agree with those rulings?

You probably don’t believe their are activists judges or that lawyers manipulate the system.

[tobyhill]

The rulings on abortion and same sex marriage was ruled by courts that have no working knowledge of the cases they rule on whereas the FISA Court is designed for this specific issue. The FISA Court has classified info that still no one other than them and the current administration has seen which is why I agree with them on this issue.

[driftdiver]

“The rulings on abortion and same sex marriage was ruled by courts that have no working knowledge of the cases they rule”

What?! So you’re agreeing the justice system is broken?

“The FISA Court has classified info that still no one other than them and the current administration has seen which is why I agree with them on this issue.”

So its ok for the govt to secretly spy on its citizens?

[tobyhill]

That's not what the FISA Court ruled and yes, the Justice System is broken.

[trebb]

I bet Reid and Pelosi are really ticked about this turn of events. Now they have to stop their criminal investigation of Bush . . .