Fox Has To Give Bush's Standard Excuse For Spying On Americans
Reported by Donna - February 1, 2006
I can't remember all of the times I've seen Fox run a clip of the president giving the same excuse for spying on Americans, but today it was repeated on Studio B with Shepard Smith. Mike Emmanuel reported the segment on President Bush's speech at the Grand Old Opry today.
As my fellow News Hound, Chrish, reported, even the president's staunchest supporters believe this may go all the way to the Supreme Court and the Alito confirmation could be his saving grace.
My partial transcript on Mike Emmanuel:
Mike Emmanuel: The president, speaking today on what the White House is calling The Terrorist Surveillance Program, critics call it Domestic Spying. The Commander in Chief says, once again, if Al Qaeda is calling the United States we wanna know. The president, insisting the U.S. government is safeguarding the liberties of Americans.
Switch to video of President Bush.
President Bush: If I was trying to pull a fast one on the American people why did I brief Congress?
Comments: See how Emmanuel calls the president the Commander in Chief in deference? Then he explains that the White House calls it the 'Terrorist Surveillance Program' but critics call it 'Domestic Spying.'
Seems to me this administration is running scared on the idea that the president broke th law and spied on Americans without getting a warrant as is required by law. I expect this will be a big issue in the coming weeks and everyone should expect to get pounded with the right wing talking points from Fox on this one.
Why doesn't one reporter ask these questions, 'Mr. President, why did you not procure a warrant after you obtained an immediate wiretap? You had 72 hours, so what is the reason? It's required by the FISA court, the process would still remain secret, why didn't you get the warrant? Did you lie to the American people when you said that anytime you obtained a wiretap you also got a warrant from the court?'
The State of the Union honeymoon was over before it began. With a disappointing speech the president felt the pressure to once again address the issue of spying on Americans. It doesn't seem to be going away.
