blueturk
02-09-2006, 05:47 AM
Could Dubya be realizing that he's the the president of the USA, not the king? I doubt it. Karl probably told him he was fucking up...
Thursday, February 9, 2006
White House provides eavesdropping details
By Katherine Shrader
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — After weeks of insisting it would not reveal details of the National Security Agency's warrantless monitoring of Americans' phone calls and e-mails, the White House reversed course Wednesday and provided a House committee with highly classified information about the operation.
The White House has been under pressure from lawmakers who wanted more information about the NSA program. Democrats and many Republicans rejected the administration's contention that they could not be trusted with national-security secrets.
The shift came the same day Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., announced he is drafting legislation that would require the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to review the NSA's monitoring program and determine if it is constitutional.
It also came after Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., chairwoman of a House intelligence subcommittee that oversees the NSA, broke with the Bush administration and called for a full review of the program, along with legislative action to update the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
She and others also wanted the full House intelligence committee to be briefed on the program's operational details. Although the White House initially promised only information about the legal rationale for surveillance, administration officials broadened the scope Wednesday to include more sensitive details about how the program works.
"I think we've had a tremendous impact today," Wilson said at a news conference as Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Gen. Michael Hayden, the nation's No. 2 intelligence official, briefed the full intelligence committee.
When asked what prompted the move to give lawmakers more details, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the administration has stated "from the beginning that we will work with members of Congress, and we will continue to do so regarding this vital national-security program."
As part of his upcoming bill, Specter said he wants the FISA court to review the NSA program to weigh the nature of the terrorist threat, the program's scope, the number of people being monitored and how the information is being handled. If the judges find the program unconstitutional, he said the administration should make changes.
"The president should have all the tools he needs to fight terrorism, but we also want to maintain our civil liberties," Specter said.
Lawmakers leaving the briefing said it covered the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Justice Department papers outlining legal justifications for the operations, details on success stories and some highly sensitive details.
The White House has insisted that it has the legal authority to monitor what it suspects are terrorist-related international communications in cases in which one party to the call is in the United States.
For weeks, senior officials have argued that President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were within the law when they chose to brief only the eight lawmakers who lead the House and Senate and their intelligence committees.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002793600_spying09.html
Thursday, February 9, 2006
White House provides eavesdropping details
By Katherine Shrader
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — After weeks of insisting it would not reveal details of the National Security Agency's warrantless monitoring of Americans' phone calls and e-mails, the White House reversed course Wednesday and provided a House committee with highly classified information about the operation.
The White House has been under pressure from lawmakers who wanted more information about the NSA program. Democrats and many Republicans rejected the administration's contention that they could not be trusted with national-security secrets.
The shift came the same day Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., announced he is drafting legislation that would require the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to review the NSA's monitoring program and determine if it is constitutional.
It also came after Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., chairwoman of a House intelligence subcommittee that oversees the NSA, broke with the Bush administration and called for a full review of the program, along with legislative action to update the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
She and others also wanted the full House intelligence committee to be briefed on the program's operational details. Although the White House initially promised only information about the legal rationale for surveillance, administration officials broadened the scope Wednesday to include more sensitive details about how the program works.
"I think we've had a tremendous impact today," Wilson said at a news conference as Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Gen. Michael Hayden, the nation's No. 2 intelligence official, briefed the full intelligence committee.
When asked what prompted the move to give lawmakers more details, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the administration has stated "from the beginning that we will work with members of Congress, and we will continue to do so regarding this vital national-security program."
As part of his upcoming bill, Specter said he wants the FISA court to review the NSA program to weigh the nature of the terrorist threat, the program's scope, the number of people being monitored and how the information is being handled. If the judges find the program unconstitutional, he said the administration should make changes.
"The president should have all the tools he needs to fight terrorism, but we also want to maintain our civil liberties," Specter said.
Lawmakers leaving the briefing said it covered the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Justice Department papers outlining legal justifications for the operations, details on success stories and some highly sensitive details.
The White House has insisted that it has the legal authority to monitor what it suspects are terrorist-related international communications in cases in which one party to the call is in the United States.
For weeks, senior officials have argued that President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were within the law when they chose to brief only the eight lawmakers who lead the House and Senate and their intelligence committees.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002793600_spying09.html