Bush's PR Blitz Fizzles Under The Facts

by georgia10
Mon Jan 23, 2006 at 03:11:05 PM PDT

President Bush today attempted to defend his domestic spying program, calling it a "Terrorist Surveillance Program" which was authorized by the 2001 AUMF. Also today, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, General Hayden, also claimed the program was legal.

The president told an audience at Kansas State University in Manhattan that the congressional resolution passed in the wake of the September 11 attacks that authorized the invasion of Afghanistan and other counterterrorism measures gave him the legal authority to initiate the program.

Bush also said he kept key members of Congress informed.
"You know, it's amazing that people say to me, 'Well, he was just breaking the law.' If I wanted to break the law, why was I briefing Congress?" Bush said, apparently referring to former Vice President Al Gore's accusation last week that he was "breaking the law" by authorizing the program. link

The more pertinent question is, why did he rely on the AUMF when Congress explicitly rejected his assertion that it was operative on U.S. soil? Recall that Tom Daschle said the administration had attempted to insert, at the last minute, language which would have made the use of military force apply to the United States. But Bush's power grab was rebuffed. So, if he knew Congress would not authorize him to use "military force" (however he interprets that phrase) in the United States, why would he go ahead and do it anyway? And why would lie today about Congress intentions and the AUMF?

Meanwhile, echoing a claim made by Cheney and other government officials, Hayden said that had the "Terrorist Surveillance Program" been in place before 9/11, we could have prevented the 9/11 attacks. Of course, the administration wants us and the media to forget that we were already intercepting terrorists' phone calls prior to 9/11.

The September 10 intercepts, details of which were provided to CNN on Wednesday, came from conversations in Arabic between individuals in Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia that U.S. officials believe were connected to al Qaeda. The intercepts, however, were not analyzed until September 12, the day after terrorist attacks on New York and Washington killed more than 3,000 people.

Congressional and other sources said that in one communication intercepted by the NSA, a person said, "The match begins tomorrow." In another intercept that same day, a different person said, "Tomorrow is zero hour." In both instances, the two people who said those words were in Afghanistan, speaking to others in Saudi Arabia. link

It wasn't that FISA and the current intelligence framework prevented us from intercepting terrorist communications; it's that we were too slow in the translation process.

The administration is repeating already debunked legal arguments in the hopes that "catapult(ing) the propaganda" will get them through this scandal. But those incontrovertible facts keep getting in the way...