You might be interested to know that The Federal Communications Act criminalizes surveillance without a warrant. Therefore, the President, by authorizing surveillance more than 3 dozen times without seeking a court order, has committed a crime…. and that is an impeachable offense.
We’ll see if it goes anywhere: The Republican-controlled congress will most likely do nothing, unless we get off our asses and demand it. The House Government Reform Committee, for example, issued 1,052 subpoenas to probe alleged misconduct by the Clinton administration and the Democratic Party between 1997 and 2002, at a cost of more than $35 million. By contrast, the Committee has issued only three subpoenas to the Bush administration, two to the Energy Department over nuclear waste disposal at Yucca Mountain, and one last week to the Defense Department over Katrina documents.
There may actually be some momentum on this issue, though.
Newspapers all across the country today, even red states, reacting to Bush’s admission:
Kansas City Star: “The struggle with foreign enemies does not simply give him a blank check”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “…unnacceptable actions of a Police State.”
Washington Post: “the tools of foreign intelligence are not consistent with a Democratic society.”
Los Angeles Times: “One of the most egregious examples of governmental over-reach.”
Burn, baby, burn.