Richard WarnickBush Happily Signs His Own Get Out of Jail Free Card
Via Glenn Greenwald, here’s a glimpse of the Joys of Washington Bipartisanship as President Bush rejoiced in yet another humiliation of the Democrats this afternoon in the Rose Garden.
This one is special, signing the bill keeps Bush from being prosecuted on multiple felony counts for at least 30 violations of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The penalty was up to five years in prison for each count. And of course, there’s the added thrill of trashing the Constitution, which Bush once called “a goddamned piece of paper.”
President Bush signs his own get-out-of-jail-free card, ending 40 lawsuits that threatened to expose his administration’s massive violations of the law and the Constitution.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, left, Vice President Dick Cheney, center, and Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., smile as they attend the inauguration of the National Security Surveillance State.
UPDATE: Of course, the bill signed yesterday not only effectively covers up the Bush administration’s past wrongdoing, it opens the door for new, unprecedented abuses of power. From Glenn Greenwald:
[T]he surveillance program implemented by Congress yesterday does not merely authorize most of the President’s so-called “Terrorist Surveillance Program” that gave rise to this scandal in the first place, but is actually much broader in scope even than that lawless program, because there is not even any requirement in the new FISA law that the “target” of the surveillance have any connection whatsoever to Terrorism, nor is there any requirement that the Government believe the “target” is an agent of a foreign power or terrorist organization, or even guilty of any wrongdoing at all.
Senator Hatch assures us we have nothing to worry about. “I don’t want to bruise anyone’s ego, but if Al Qaeda is not on your speed dial, the government is probably not interested in you.” This is from a politician who took an oath to defend the Constitution, and attacked it instead. I don’t believe a word he says.
Question: If I’m not under surveillance, how does the government know who I’ve got on speed dial?
July 10th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Cool sunglasses on the Hatch dude!
Just makes you want to break out into a verse of “Heal The Land.”
You get the impression these guys have no idea how ticked off their own party is at them. Have a nice day guys!
July 10th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
“I Shot the Sheriff” was the first song to come to my mind!
July 10th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Hatch is gleefully rubbing his hands together at the thought of our destruction, like some James Bond super villain. And when have you ever seen Cheney and Lieberman looking so happy?
July 10th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
There is a bright side to this. This law changes nothing. They’ve been spying on us anyway.
Hoover lives!
July 10th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
It does make it legal now Larry. So nothing to fear, though given the opposition and the support of the bill by messiah obama, the administration had nothing to fear anyway.
Still think there is a difference Larry?
July 11th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I’ll let middle east reporter and author Chris Hedges tell you why this bill is a very bad thing:
Mr. Hedges, along with the ACLU and “The Nation” magazine will be suing to challenge the bill and I don’t see how they can lose if the constitution and the freedom of the press mean anything anymore. I guess we’ll see, but not before we are at war with Iran.