Justice Memos Gave Bush Total Power

[babylonsister]

Justice Memos Gave Bush Total Power

By Jason Leopold
March 3, 2009


Lawyers for George W. Bush’s Justice Department asserted that the President had unlimited powers to prosecute the “war on terror” on American soil and could ignore constitutional rights, including First Amendment freedoms of speech and the press and Fourth Amendment requirements for search warrants, according to nine secret memos just released.

The memos related to opinions drafted by John Yoo, a deputy assistant attorney general at the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, a powerful agency that advises the President on the extent of his powers under the Constitution.

In perhaps the most controversial of the memos, dated Oct. 23, 2001, and entitled "Authority for Use of Military Force to Combat Terrorist Activities Within the United States,” Yoo said Bush’s war powers allowed him to put restrictions on freedom of the press and freedom of speech.

"First Amendment speech and press rights may also be subordinated to the overriding need to wage war successfully," Yoo wrote. "The current campaign against terrorism may require even broader exercises of federal power domestically."

The memo concluded that "that the Fourth Amendment had no application to domestic military operations.” The Fourth Amendment states that “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated.”

The memo said Bush had the legal authority to order searches and seizures without warrants against individuals that he judged to be terrorists.

more...

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2009/030309a.html

[Demeter]

1. Those "Memos" Gave No One POWER

Bush just grabbed, and Nancy couldn't be bothered to slap him with an impeachment.

[LynnTheDem]

2. 1998: " A dictatorship would be a lot easier."

Dec 18, 2000: "If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier; just so long as I'm the dictator."

July 30, 2001: "A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier, there's no question about it."

"I'm the commander - see, I don't need to explain - I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being President."

[DUlover2909]

3. He needs an ass whoopin. Him and Cheney need a hardy ass whoopin.

I think Obama should institute a draft. He should draft Bush and Cheney and send them to Afghanistan. Then Obama should repeal the draft after those two shmucks are drafted.