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Born at the Crest of the Empire

Monday, January 02, 2006

Questions on the NSA spying case.....

Yesterday, the WaPo reported that the content of the illegal taps were spread through the Pentagon's DIA as well as other agencies. It has taken me a day to digest this, and after thinking about it again, I have two questions:


Who specifically, what government agency or group, requested these taps?


Were these agencies where the tap contents were eventually distributed, the requestors for those specific taps?


If so, I think that could be a really big deal if the DoD, again as example, was given the prerogative to spy on American citizens, tapping their phones and reading their email, using the NSA as a legal cutout.

We've heard alot about these taps, but I don't think I've seen anywhere what group within the government actually requested the NSA to tap somebody, or what group supplied the intelligence to suggest that somebody should be specifically monitored.

(It appears to me there are a number of programs which have been goperating under this NSA spying umbrella. I'm not referring to the apparent TIA type datamining here, but the specific monitoring of individuals within the US.)

A few stray thoughts: So far, beyond repeated non-detailed assertions that they believe they acted within John Yoo's interpretations of the law, all of the administration's defenses have been emotional in nature. "We're doing this to protect Americans." This could be because they don't want to divulge facts for practical reasons, but my general belief is that you argue emotion when the facts aren't on your side.

I know it's nitpicking, but despite Bush's repeated assertions, his oath of office was not to protect Americans, although I must say I generally support the "protecting Americans" plank of the platform. The presidential oath of office in article 2 of the constitution(sec 1 -8) is the following.
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

You swore to preserve protect and defend the Constitution, georgie boy, not circumvent it.

Lastly, I don't think we've really seen the body of this iceberg yet. Everything we've heard is elements of this program, things that were done, but not how the whole program worked from the beginning. That's what I was trying to get at in the questions at the top. The NSA was operating the technology, but who was actually pulling the levers. Something in this just smells fishy to me. Fishier than what we already know.

5 Comments:

  • Good point on that emotions vs. fact argument. These guys figures they don't need facts. They've got fear! And then there's the 'Mommy Factor'...or maybe the 'Daddy Factor'...I'm not sure if Bush is my Mommy or my Daddy...

    By Blogger Neil Shakespeare, at 8:27 AM  

  • I'm just finally beginning to get over the shock of this NSA thing to get my head around it a little.

    And the security thing is really the only thing left pegging up his presidency. If that perception were to suddenly fall, it would destroy this administration.

    Mike

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 8:41 AM  

  • I think you're right, Mike, about the iceberg. Here's hoping the msm really get their hooks into this one. Bush has been spinning like crazy, and every time he does the white house has to issue a correction or something. I think he's feeling the heat. Americablog has a good post about how Congress "reviewed" the program, according to Bush. He is so full of it.

    Happy new year!

    By Blogger Cephas, at 9:09 AM  

  • Your comment about the "security thing" being the last item propping up the prez is notable. It would very well help the administration from a perception standpoint if a "terrorist act" were to take place [or be 'credibly' thwarted] on our soil about now -- and even better if an American citizen was behind it (or at least accused of it without charge and thrown in jail interminably). Carl? Carl? Where are you!?

    On a side note: Interesting that similar debates raged around Lincoln as he did his duty as President to "protect the sanctity of the union." Don't get me wrong, I'm glad for the outcome of his actions, but seceding wasn't prohibited by the constitution as far as anyone could tell, either. Simply pointing out that the presidential "I'm just doing my job" line has been around for a long time.

    Leadership is, after all, often about making tough calls, sometimes in contention with popular interpretation of the law. The difference between Abe and George W. is that Lincoln accepted accountability for the fallout.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:43 AM  

  • Great points, Mike, and compounded by the fact that the NSA is, by its nature and structure, a primarily military agency -- it's charter reads like it could be an arm of the Pentagon. Who would the NSA most likely share its information with, particularly given the fact that the Bush admin justifies its policies by "wartime exegency?"

    The Pentagon seems as good a guess as any...

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:50 PM  

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