February 28th, 2008
11:21 AM ET
13 years ago
Bush: FISA expired but threat did not
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/2008/POLITICS/02/28/bush/art.bush.presser.cnn.jpg caption=" President Bush is calling on Congress to take action on some key legislation."](CNN) - President Bush on Thursday urged Congress to vote on an update to the terrorist surveillance bill, which allows the intelligence community to conduct surveillance on foreigners without a warrant.
A temporary update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act expired more than a week ago.
"The law expired, the threat to America didn't expire," the president told reporters.
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President Bush please take your fear tactics with you to Crawford, TX. The good citizens of Texas look for your speedy return. Too bad you get a retirement check for the rest of your days after doing such a pitiful job messing up the greatest nation ever. Four thousand son's and daughter's of freedom rest prematurely in thier graves because of you. You have done enough damage to the country and the world for one century. Let the next president bring us honor and protect us from our enemies. GOD Bless America and our ARMED FORCES.
how is this still an issue, I thought that the bill ending was already concluded as not putting America at risk. Why is he making this an issue when he only has a year left on his legacy? He needs to get working on real issues.
RELIGIONS ARE NOT SERVING THE PORPUSE TO THE HUMAN BEEN – IF GOD IS GOOD THEM BE GOOD TOO
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As you can read religion seems to breed ignorance. Religions the root of all evils and stupid superstitions!
Religious fanatics ruin the very fiber of our world.
Expire. Your term of office needs to hurry and expire. And then you need to be arrested as soon as you step out the door, Mr. Bush. Nothing has done more damage to this country than you. Nothing is a bigger threat, well except maybe the way the economy is going. And you are responsible for that too. While you were busy dealing with a stupid war, in another country, ours has been neglected. Shame on you George Bush. I am very proud of the congress for standing up to you. Unlike the Senate, they seem to want to try to speak for the people.
I cannot wait for this Big Bully and his VP Darth Vader to be out of office !! Why isn't Congress impeaching these two criminals???? If they wanted to spy on someone they could go through the court system and get a warrant !!!
Uh – Robert.... You're on the wrong message board.
But I do agree with you.
Bush, you are the biggest threat. Want more of this? Vote Republican.
Threat? my foot. It is so sad to see this president destroying every that made this country great in first place. Whole world envy our civil liberties. Where in the worl can you burn our flag and get a way with it? It's time to throw this guy out and rebuild our reputation around the world. Shame on republicans.
Just think,
It looks like we will get another fool just like him in McCain.
I believe you are wrong, and so very misguided. Bush is far from being a perfect man, but he is a hero. And to call him the "biggest threat to not only this country but the whole world" makes it impossible to take ANYTHING else you have to say seriously.
"No Comment!"
– Pres. Bush
FISA did not expire. The law ammending FISA that allowed Bush to order wiretapping without a warrant expired. His Misadministration can wiretap all they want, as ling as they get a warrant frim the FISA Court within 72 hours. They want carte blanche authority to do things without court approval, and they should not have this.
If there was a real threat out there, all they would need to do is get a warrant. So the only person making this country less secure is George W. Bush.
Yes, let's forget all about getting warrants.
We don't really need that pesky little thing called a 4th amendment. First they started with the foreigners, then people living inside the US who are considered "terrorists" would be surveilled without a warrant - heck, let's just shred the entire Constitution and start up the witch hunts.
This is a slippery slope that I don't want to see this country slide down any further. We're already having to claw our way back to the ideals that once stood for something here, ideals that have been trampled into dust by the current administration.
There are threats to America out there. I'm not saying there isn't. I'm more worried today about the threats to America that are coming out of Washington on a daily basis.
Tell us how you persuaded normally cautious telecom CEOs and their General Counsels to participate in this clearly illegal wholesale interception of communications and _maybe_ retroactive immunity is warranted. But don't expect Congress to rubber-stamp any deals your crooks in Justice made with the phone companies. Your own White House can't even keep track of its emails, so you have little expertise in this tech stuff.
According to the Neo-Con agenda, the threat will never end. We've been a Nation of fear for the past 7 years. Funny how shortly after 9/11, they all stood together and said that we will not be fearful, then turned around and used that very fear against us to further their own crooked, misguided deeds.
Again...I am in awe of the collective stupidity I am reading here.
No wonder political activism isn't main stream anymore. You've got extremists on all fronts and logic and reason are left by the wayside.
If the expiration of this law puts America at risk, then why did President Bush vow to veto any version that didn't include immunity for the telephone companies?
Is he saying that immunity for the phone corporations is more important than the safety of the nation?
After all, to use a line that proponents of increased surveillance have used often, "If they aren't doing anything wrong, they don't have anything to worry about."
VERY WELL PUT PAUL. TWO WINNING ARGUMENTS.
I find it to be such a shame that the american public, the american people are defined by a people such as George W. Bush. The right of the people of this country, the rights our fourfathers fought for should be defended for people people not just in America but all over the world. Mr. President I very much hope Congress does not give you any more money for any reason.
Are people really that ignorant? Do you think after 9/11 that terrorism has stopped or grown weaker? Has the "expired" bill not prevented another attack since then?
It's easy for liberals to sit on their butt's in the safety and comfort of their own homes and bash the war, our president and our policies. Wake up, the world is not peaceful and never has been... If any of you have even a high school education you should be aware of this.
If Clinton's balls wouldn't of been preoccupied with cheating on his wife, then maybe he would of executed the change we had to take out Osama...and the Afganistan and Iraq wars would never of happened.
How have the citizens of our country become so weak?
Biggest threat to the US: George W. Bush.
I wonder what the unwarranted wire taps have recorded from him. I wonder if there's 18 minutes of undestroyed wiretape information laying around somewhere....
Thank god the house has the backbone to stand up to him and I'm glad that my candidate voted no on this bill.
Both Clinton and Obama voted nay on this to that person that stated otherwise.
Obama 08
Is this clown still around? And is he still trying to stomp on our Constitutional rights? I had almos forgotten about him. (And it felt great!)
Thank god we have less than a year left of enduring King George and his repeated attempts to alienate... well... just about everyone!
Let's just hope this time around the American people are smart enough to not fall for the Republican attack machine and not elect his lapdog, John McCain.
The President's own Veto pen blocked the continuation of this law (which really has been in effect since 1978...the original law takes the REVOLUTIONARY steps of requiring a warrant to conduct the wiretap).
Granting Blanket Immunity is actually Anti-American. Giving telecoms (and the people holding the strings) the right to monitor without fear of reprisal creates a mechanism that's way too easy for the less noble in the administration to abuse without fail.
Why not propose a compromise–a limited liability for telecoms who can prove that certain communications were suspicious in nature (i.e. terror reated) Or better yet, introduce a Bill that grants BLANKET liability to the telecoms...but does NOT extend that liability to the government official or officials actually giving the orders.
Seems to me, we should be holding the person GIVING the orders as accountable anyway. Something good to remember for the upcoming election as well.
Apparently Bush's fear-mongering hasn't expired yet either.
I'd love to see any one of you run the country. Probably can run your own households.