Limbaugh falsehood: "Leahy opposes NSA intercepts of the enemy"
SUMMARY: Rush Limbaugh falsely claimed, "[Sen.] Pat Leahy opposes NSA [National Security Agency] intercepts of the enemy," referring to the NSA's warrantless surveillance program secretly authorized by President Bush in 2001. In fact, according to his statement before the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 6, Leahy "agree[d] that we should be wiretapping Al Qaeda terrorists."
During a monologue on Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and the Transportation Security Administration, nationally syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh told listeners of his February 6 show: "Pat Leahy opposes NSA [National Security Agency] intercepts of the enemy." Limbaugh was referring to the NSA's warrantless surveillance program secretly authorized by President Bush in 2001. In fact, according to his statement before the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 6, Leahy "agree[d] that we should be wiretapping Al Qaeda terrorists."
Leahy said that his concerns with the spy program center on the lack of congressional or judicial oversight: "Congress has given the president authority to monitor these messages legally, with checks to guard against abuses when Americans' conversations and email are being monitored. But instead, the president has chosen to do it illegally, without those safeguards."
Republicans have also echoed Leahy's concerns. On the same day as Leahy made his statement to the Judiciary Committee, chairman Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), advising Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, said:
SPECTER: I hope you will give weighty thought to taking this issue to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court lock, stock, and barrel. Let them see the whole thing and let them pass judgment, because if they disagree with you, it's the equilibrium of our constitutional system which is involved. And the Al Qaeda threat is very weighty, but so is the equilibrium of our constitutional system.
Additionally, Bruce Fein, who served as associate deputy attorney general under President Reagan and was a former Republican counsel during the Iran-Contra hearings, wrote in a December 28 Washington Times column, "Congress should insist the president cease the spying unless or until a proper statute is enacted or face possible impeachment. The Constitution's separation of powers is too important to be discarded in the name of expediency." Former Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA) wrote in an article (subscription required) in the January 9 issue of Time magazine:
Exactly like Nixon before him, Bush has ordered the National Security Agency (NSA) to conduct electronic snooping on communications of various people, including U.S. citizens. That action is unequivocally contrary to the express and implied requirements of federal law that such surveillance of U.S. persons inside the U.S. (regardless of whether their communications are going abroad) must be preceded by a court order.
From the February 6 broadcast of The Rush Limbaugh Show:
LIMBAUGH: Now, here is -- here's the Pat Leahy [sound] bite that the caller, Tom from Denver, referred to.
LEAHY [audio clip]: My concern is when we see peaceful Quakers being spied upon; when we see babies and nuns who can't fly on airplanes because they're on a terrorist watch list put together by your government."
LIMBAUGH: What in the world does this have to do with this program? That has more to do with these bumbling people at the -- at the Transportation Security Authority, or the TSA, whatever that is. You know, waving wands while -- while -- while real potential targets are waved right through. Ra -- waging -- waving these -- these wands over nuns and babies. Senator, this is -- this is absolutely pathetic, and just to use these hearings to make more political points has nothing to do with the purpose of the hearings. Pat Leahy, folks, has been in the Senate for some 30 years, and for 30 years, Pat Leahy's always lamenting how somebody else hasn't done enough of this or that. Today, he's trashing a president who's done more to fight terrorism than any president in history. Pat Leahy, on the other hand, is always complaining that somebody hadn't done enough of this or that, opposes the Patriot Act. Pat Leahy opposes aggressive interrogation. Pat Leahy opposes long detentions of terrorist suspects. Pat Leahy opposes NSA intercepts of the enemy. It's time to ask what does Senator Leahy support other than his "Al Qaeda bill of rights." He is wasting one of one hundred seats in the U.S. Senate.
I see you've adopted the Bush's administration term, "Terrorist Surveilance Program".
I don't know about "the left", but as for me, I believe there must be oversight. The FISA act allows for the warrant to be issued up to 72 hours AFTER surveillance has begun. If these conversations truly involve terrorists (as the administration is admanant about), then what's so hard about getting the warrant. And if you can't operate under the existing statute, you work to change it or otherwise have its provisions waived -- you just don't do what you want (which would be an impeachable offense).
And it's why he's an indispensable cog in the GOP propaganda machine; he is a master at mischaracterizing the Liberal/Democratic position. In other words, he lies about it on a daily basis. The problem is that his reptile-brained audience believes it, and gets all hysterical about how the Left is out to destroy America.
Of course, G.W. Bush does it. Self-righteously parading a stand against a ridiculous position which in fact no one has taken. Such as (paraphrasing here), "Some people (the mythical 'some people') say it's not important to go after terrorists. Well, _I_ say we can and we must."
Rush is just repeating what Rove already said, that Democrats, with their supposed pre-9/11 mindset, don't even want the US to spy on al-Qaeda.
Of course, there is no reason to think this is true (and plenty of evidence that is is not true), and plenty of Republicans share the concern of many Democrats and independents about the legality of this eavesdropping program. And Democrats could hardly have been more supportive of this administration's efforts to go after al-Qaeda. But these facts just don't matter to unprincipled people like Rove and Rush.
Isn't it long past time to hold President Bush personally accountable for whatever ugly nonsense Mr. Rove says on his behalf and in his employ?
This is a classic example why I refer to him as Liebaugh. The truth only leaves his mouth by accident.
Yesterday I heard only one falsehood from "America's truth detector'. It started at 2PM and lasted until 5.
Why didn't I see that before?
Checks and balances are needed. That is what FISA does. Bush wants to be King George, and that is not America. He should be impeached for lying about Iraq and the illegal wiretapping. Also he and Cheney are in up to their big ears, over the CIA leak mess. He has been a discrace to the presidency.
so does every democrat. they just don't agree that the president can do whatever he feels like. there is no situation that can't be dealt with under present law. limbaugh, of course, must lie. because if the right wingers tell the truth, then they can't attack democrats. and let there be no doubt that all this is cranking up for the 2006 elections. and the people that defend limbaugh are just as immoral as he. if not more so. he at least gets paid well to lie. your motive is...what?