Beating a Dead Horse?

The president is now calling the controversial domestic spying program a "Terrorist surveillance program" - not domestic spying without a warrant. This just sounds like more political spin of saying "I am the president, and I can do or authorize anyone to anything I want." This to me continues to sound like a constitutional breach of executive powers.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why W. cannot go to Congress and get clarification or ammendments to the existing legislation, that would clearly define his power in this area and put limits around what the executive branch (NSA) is and is not able to with regards to "a terrorist surveillance program." This will ensure that the civil liberties of individual citizens, which are currently guaranteed in the Bill of Rights and the 14th ammendment are not trampled upon by the government. If Terrorist surveillance program" is really all Bush is doing, what will prevent his successors, either Republican or Democrat, from extending this new executive power for additional surveillance outside the terrorist realm?

I doubt any right minded American would object to the government leading a "terrorist surveillance program" if we believed it would make us safer, and there were strong parameters around what they can and cannot do with regards to US Citizens within the borders of this country. As a side note, I have no objections to monitoring foreign nationals residing in this country, since I don't believe they are covered by the Bill of Rights, but that is just me and I am not sure that this would actually stand up in a court of law.

This is simply a case where Bush's arrogance and stubborness to see alternate opinions, taking a my way or the highway approach to government is killing him. If his intentions and his program truly are what he says they are (and just being a politician, I generally don't trust what he is saying), then he should have no problem going to congress to ammend and update FISA. But the fact that he continues to fight on, saying he has the authority, that he does not need specific legitslative or judicial approval, makes me wonder if additional shenanigans are going on in this "terrorist surveillnace program".

It begs the question of what other types of folks from the past would have fallen under a terrorist surveillance program?