Arlen Specter says, "This is a big, big, big issue..."

[kentuck]

Referring to the domestic spying and the bypass of the FISA courts by this White House and the NSA. He sounded as if he is very serious at getting to the bottom of this story. We shall see.

[Canuckistanian]

1. There's something going on there

This isn't the first time he's mentioned this. He said something similar diring the Alito nomination hearings.

[iamjoy]

3. And Voted To Confirm Alito

Specter is all mouth and no trousers if you ask me.

[aquart]

10. He's all mouth and nothing IN the trousers.

And nothing he says is worth spit.

[kath]

18. Dammit, these hearings should have been held BEFORE the hearing to

confirm Alito.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

2. Yes, the prez declaring himself king and above all laws and any constraint

from the legislature, is a big, big issue.

[ret5hd]

4. correct me if i am wrong...

it seems i remember reading that specter's main problem is that it is illegal...not that it should be illegal. in other words, he thinks there is a problem w/ the admin doing this, but only because it's illegal, and we should change the laws to make it legal.

[MissWaverly]

5. That's David Brook's line

Like this is a 10 second fix by Congress, NOT.

[ret5hd]

7. are you saying ...

that this IS specter's reasoning, or that d. brooks makes an unsubstantiated claim?

[MissWaverly]

13. the first time that I heard David Brooks words coming

out of Sean Hannity's mouth I was blown away, what I am trying to say that they are the
shiny new Republican talking points and are faxed around by everyone's favorite PR guy
Karl Rove. The spin is that this is no big deal and just needs congress to take some time
out of their busy schedule to help George fight the war on terror. They completely miss
that innocent American citizens are having their rights step on in violation of the 4th
amendment, this will never be fair without probable cause. This is not about Osama this
is about violation of the right to privacy guaranteed to all US citizens.

Last Friday, I posted the statement below, the FBI used the Patriot Act to gather financial
information on 1 million innocent US citizens.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman loves to remind visitors of Sin City's oh-so-discreet tagline: "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." But since the New Year's celebrations ringing in 2004, he has had to modify the motto. Fearing a terrorist attack, the FBI descended on casinos, car rental agencies, storage warehouses, and other Las Vegas businesses with sheaves of "national security letters" demanding financial records covering about 1 million revelers. Startled business owners who questioned the action were told they had one choice: cough up their documents or wind up in court.

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/nov2005/nf20051110_9709_db016.htm

[orleans]

28. interesting article

never heard that bit of news on the "news" reports (msm)

[MissWaverly]

40. we need to be the media

I am convinced the MSM knows this but they have been intimidated by Bush and are no longer
a free press.

[stickdog]

30. It's also about the separation of powers. The legislature can't

simply legislate away all judicial oversight of our rights -- despite the current executive's fervent wishes (and claims that they can do it unilaterally).

[MissWaverly]

39. Thank you for posting this

we must maintain the guarantees to our freedom outlined in the constitution

[Kahuna]

9. That's my read. He wants to make it legal and give bushie an out.

nt

[Randypiper]

11. Yes

THE SITUATION ROOM

SPECTER:

"But I don't think that there's any call here for a special prosecutor. There's -- there's no showing of mens rea, or criminal intent, or bad faith on the part of the president. We just had a special prosecutor, a very high-profile one in Fitzgerald. And we ended up a "New York Times" reporter in jail for 85 days. And we still don't know what that investigation was all about."

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0601/23/sitroom.02.html

[drm604]

35. "We stiil don't know what that investigation was all about"???

WTF? He talks likes it's all over and Fitzgerald came up empty!

He doesn't know what it was about? Hell, I'm not even in the Senate and I know what it's about. :grr:

[The Backlash Cometh]

14. You mean, like commiting perjury over a question that involves a

private and legal matter is illegal, but shouldn't be because the other party may use this kind of information for blackmail, and we should change the laws to make it legal?

[Hippo_Tron]

16. At least it's a start

I mean, what can we expect from a Republican?

[Canuckistanian]

19. What, and make the new laws retroactive?

Oops, I've said too much.

[guidod]

27. I wonder if there were any

back room deals made so they could get cloture on Alito. Just a thought

[Jacobin]

36. Exactomundo

Specter is cleaning up Smirky's little mess for him.

"Oh this is terrible and illegal, but LordGawdBush is only trying to protect us from the unwashed hordes, so here, look, see(?), we must have congress change the law to make LordGawDBush's noble conduct 'legal'....now vote for this legislation to make what he is doing legal."

See how easy it is to make LordGawdBush into a saint and clean up his droppings? Oh, and just start counting the 'dems' who will vote to do this.

[asjr]

6. Specter is just another Republican. He says one thing, does the

opposite. He has been on my shit list since the Thomas/Hill fiasco. Our world here in the U.S. is held in the hands of liars and cheats.

[joeybee12]

8. And I say Specter is a big, big, big asshole!

Yeah, like he's not going to eventually bend over and take it from Bush and his Nazis.

[wryter2000]

12. Lord I hope so

I have this utter horror that he'll hold a few days of hearings and give his stamp of approval to any spying Bushco wants to do.

[JohnWxy]

15. The ONLY chance anything will come of this is if people keep up the

pressure by emailing (www.congress.org) that Bush violated the FISA law and his oath of office to protect and defend the constitution and respect the civil rights of all Americans. We MUST keep up the pressure with thousands of emails. Just keep emailing and tell everybody you know this must be done. The politicians will not do the right thing if the political pressure to let Bush off is greater than the pressure from citizens to see that Bush is held accountable.

It will probably take an avalanche of emails though. (obviously, emailing those coming up for re-election would be the most effective.)

[leesa]

17. Spector will have to come up with some BIG, BIG, LIES to cover this one

for the BOY KING.

[incapsulated]

20. I once had a hearing |----THIS BIG----| !!!

Please. I'll believe it when I see someone got to jail.

[rexcat]

21. Specter is not going to do anything to...

jeopardize his chairmanship. If he were to have real hearings concerning this domestic spying he would not be chairman of the judiciary committee for very long therefore more rhetoric than substance with him. He sold out too many years ago.

[gordianot]

22. I thought he said a couple weeks ago there was not a problem.

Specter is all talk he likes to play good cop before he kicks you in the...... You get the idea.

[fooj]

23. It doesn't just violate Federal Law...it violates the US Constitution.

It is a felony and shows sufficient grounds for IMPEACHMENT.

peace.

[JMDEM]

24. This would be "Magic Bullet" Arlen, right?

The guy who shaped so much of the BS in the Warren Commission and who pushed the magic bullet theory down everyone's throats?

I wonder why he's so concerned about the Constitution?

[dissident2006]

25. Repugs are giving up on Boosh n/t

[Neil Lisst]

26. Senator Arlen Sphincter always talks out his ass.

But never comes through.

He's useless.

[tavalon]

29. Almost as big as, say, the magic bullet theory

eh, Arlen?

[AtomicKitten]

31. When Russert on MtheP asked Specter about subpoenaing former Bushies,

Specter said he was thinking about. The people in question are specifically those in the Justice Department who would not sign off on the domestic spying, also referred to as the Terrorist Surveillance Program by Faux News. I doubt very seriously that Specter has any intention of doing a damn thing about this, just like Roberts white-washed the 9/11 Commission.

Of interest was the signing statement Jimmy Carter put with the FISA law he signed into effect:
"It clarifies the executive's authority to gather foreign intelligence by electric surveillance in the United States."

This suggests that any inherent powers in Article 2 of the Constitution, or other legislation, that this FISA law was central and now would be controlling.

When Russert asked Specter if he would call Carter to testify, Specter replied he's thinking about it.

[flordehinojos]

32. SPECTER IS TALKING OUT OF BOTH SIDES OF HIS MOUTH.

he is saying one thing, like he is going to go after the criminals, but he is doing another, he is protecting the bushcoes.

[Unmarked Poster]

33. Exactly

.

[flordehinojos]

37. hi!

:hi: :toast:

[Wordie]

42. He didn't require Gonzales to testify under oath. That sounds an alarm. nt

[chelsea0011]

34. "We won't get to the inner workings of what is being done"?????

Spector just set the ground rules that we will get nowhere.

[radio4progressives]

38. It so big, he placates to the fascists to conduct dog and pony charade

Specter is the most loyal brown shirt through and through.

[hvn_nbr_2]

41. How big is it? It's so big that...

...that we don't even put the main witness under oath.