Gore Assails Domestic Wiretapping Program
Speaking on Martin Luther King Jr.’s national holiday, the man who lost the 2000 presidential election to Bush was interrupted repeatedly by applause as he called the anti-terrorism program “a threat to the very structure of our government.”
There are so few Democrats willing to stand up and call Our Glorious Leader’s domestic eavesdropping campaign what it actually is- an illegal invasion of the privacy of Americans- that former VP Al Gore’s speech really stands out for it’s accuracy and anger. Talk about a lone voice in the wilderness….
Anyone with a shred of decency should understand that there’s a mechanism available to a President for domestic spying should the need arise. That this President has chosen to ignore this mechanism is merely an indication that he is willing to go to virtually any length and break any law he deems inconvenient. And when a President feels that he’s above the law, there is no telling where he’ll stop.
The problem with the current political climate is that most Democrats currently holding office are terrified of being painted by Republicans as anti-American and pro-terrorist and then having to answer to their constituents. There seems to be an almost complete lack of moral courage emanating from Democrats in Washington, and because of this, Our Glorious Leader and his handlers no doubt think he has carte blanche…and, in fact, he clearly does.
If it takes a Democrat who’s not looking to cover his ass to speak truth to power…well then, say hello to Al Gore and his take on the truth. ‘Cuz you know that Republicans aren’t about to take this sitting down.
Former Vice President Al Gore called Monday for an independent investigation of President Bush’s domestic spying program, contending the president “repeatedly and insistently” broke the law by eavesdropping on Americans without court approval….
Gore charged that the administration acted without congressional authority and made a “direct assault” on a special federal court that authorizes requests to eavesdrop on Americans. One judge on the court resigned last month, voicing concerns about the National Security Agency’s surveillance of e-mails and phone calls.
Of course, having spent eight years in the Clinton White House, Gore would be well aware of the ins and out of the FISA court, and he would also know that it’s a rubber stamp. Nonetheless, it is the law, and a President is required to obtain approval from the FISA court before engaging in a domestic wiretap operation. It’s the law, and a President, among other things, is sworn to uphold the law. Not a difficult concept to grasp, right?
Well, as I mentioned earlier, Republicans were not about to let this one pass unanswered…or in the case of Al Gore, unsmeared:
“Al Gore’s incessant need to insert himself in the headline of the day is almost as glaring as his lack of understanding of the threats facing America,” Schmitt said. “While the president works to protect Americans from terrorists, Democrats deliver no solutions of their own, only diatribes laden with inaccuracies and anger. “
Yes, while the President works to make this world safer for good, God-fearing White folks, Al Gore is doing his part to make this world a safer place for terrorists, perverts, child molesters, and godless Communists to ply their trade. What is it about Republicans that seem to make them incapable of engaging in a reasoned, dispassionate debate? Why do they find it necessary to immediately bypass civility and go straight to petty, personal insults? Oh, right…that would be because they have nothing constructive to offer, which really leaves them only petty, personal insults.
“What we do know about this pervasive wiretapping virtually compels the conclusion that the president of the United States has been breaking the law repeatedly and insistently,” the Democrat maintained.
Bush has pointed to a congressional resolution passed after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that authorized him to use force in the fight against terrorism as allowing him to order the program.
Gore had a different view, contending that Bush failed to convince Congress to support a domestic spying program, so he “secretly assumed that power anyway, as if congressional authorization was a useless bother.”
He said the spying program must be considered along with other administration actions as a constitutional power grab by the president. Gore cited imprisoning American citizens without charges in terrorism cases, mistreatment of prisoners ‚Äö√Ñ√Æ including torture ‚Äö√Ñ√Æ and seizure of individuals in foreign countries and delivering them to autocratic regimes “infamous for the cruelty of their techniques.”
It’s all OK, though, because if you don’t support Our Glorious Leader and his war against brown people terrorism, then you’re allowing the terrorists to win. The sooner defeatists like Al Gore figure that out, the closer the GOP will be to achieving their ultimate goal of creating a Republican-led theocracy.
