Covering Up Bush's Crimes

If the Republicans are so thoroughly convinced that their Dear Leader didn't break any laws when he spied on Americans using the NSA, why are they now creating a law that would retroactively make that practice legal? What's worse is that they're actually expanding Bush's power to eavesdrop. The bill's title, "The Terrorist Surveillance Act" is a misnomer. Anyone with overseas contacts with suspected terrorists will be targeted. BooMan has rightly renamed it "The Tyrant Enabling Act" and that's exactly what it is.

The ACLU said in a statement that the bill would allow "Americans' phone calls and e-mails to be monitored for 45 days without any court oversight and makes court review after that period optional" - in violation of the Fourth Amendment's guarantees against unreasonable searches.
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The bill would give the government up to 45 days to monitor calls and e-mails of suspected terrorists when one party is in the U.S. and the other is overseas. Like Bush's existing program, the government would not have to get court approval.
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You can read the ACLU's full statement here.

The following Republican senators introduced this bill: Dewine (R-ID), Snowe (R-ME), Graham (R-SC), and Hagel (R-NB). Snowe and Hagel had originally supported an inquiry into the spying program and Graham had said, "While I disagree with some of the legal arguments put forth by the Administration, the law in this area is evolving and less-than-settled." Why have they suddenly flip-flopped? Contact them and demand to know why they are willing to cover up Bush's crimes and how they could possibly support more violations of the fourth amendment as proposed in this bill. This cannot go unchallenged.

And, while you're at it, contact the Democrats who refused to sign on to Feingold's censure resolution - many of whom stated that they preferred an inquiry instead. This new bill quashes any hope that such hearings will ever be held and they've made a huge miscalculation by not backing Feingold.