Anger rising again

I know, I know, I don't update worth squat...

...but is there a frickin' department of the government which ISN'T spying domestically?

It's the FBI...

then it's the CIA...

then it's the Pentagon...

now it's the NSA:

President Bush authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States -- without getting search warrants -- following the Sept. 11 attacks, The New York Times reports.

Oh, but wait! Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice comes along, saying that

President George W. Bush is doing everything he can to protect Americans from terrorism, but with "due regard" for civil liberties.

and

While not commenting on intelligence matters, Rice said the president has acted lawfully "in every step that he has taken to defend the American people."

Well, considering that Rice is the one who went to Europe recently to argue that we don't do "extraordinary rendition" of people to countries where we know they'll be tortured (arguements which were ineffective, at best) forgive me if I don't buy it.

Especially when the guy responsible for writing the legal justification for the program is the SAME PERSON who wrote justifications for torture:

The NSA activities were justified by a classified Justice Department legal opinion authored by John C. Yoo, a former deputy in the Office of Legal Counsel who argued that congressional approval of the war on al Qaeda gave broad authority to the president, according to the Times.

That legal argument was similar to another 2002 memo authored primarily by Yoo, which outlined an extremely narrow definition of torture.

So this appears, to my jaundinced prejudiced lefty eyes, anyway, as yet another "we're not REALLY breaking the law 'cause we just
re-wrote the law in question" case from the White House, at best.

Flash back to just a couple years ago, when "no man was above the law":

In any language other than Clintonese this man has violated the principles of the office he was elected to uphold. He has broken the law. He has demonstrated no remorse. He assumes no responsibility. He says the words, but anyone who has ever dealt with a habitual liar can see right through him. I hope and pray his morals and standards are not representative of the general character of American society. I hope and pray the American people do not allow this man to continue to represent America. He is an American nightmare.
[snip]
As an American, I would like to see his removal from the Oval Office. This president looked me in the eye through the television, lied and withheld the truth for seven months. Will he pay back the costs of delaying the investigation? He cannot be trusted. When will he have another "critical lapse in judgment."
[snip]
Clinton has done more to diminish that dignity than any president (maybe even more than Nixon).
[snip]
What a disappointment. I was stunned by his anger, denial and arrogance. This could have been a perfect opportunity to put this behind him by showing some sort of remorse.
[snip]
I am totally insulted by his pseudo-apology! He spent 90 percent of the time blaming others for his predicament. Ultimately, it is HIS behavior that has caused staff and friends to have to cover for him all these months. How dare he place other innocent people in morally and legally compromising positions, and then have the audacity to blame it all on the special prosecutor and claim it nothing more than the result of a witch-hunt!!
[snip]
When the president lies to the American people about his affairs, most of us grumble about Washington but if the president lied under oath during the Paula Jones grand jury proceedings, the man belongs in JAIL! He is not above the law when it comes to the core beliefs of this country.
[snip]


Boy, things have sure changed, haven't they?