The former president-turned-dictator and terrorist apologist has weighed in on the "legality" of the NSA domestic surveillance program. It will come as a surprise to no one that Mr. Carter believes the program is "illegal" because it violates the FISA statute, which he signed into law back in 1978. In other words, Carter is repeating the Democratic mantra that Bush violated the "rule of law" in conducting domestic surveillance, with the law being FISA.
While Jimmah wakes nostalgic for good ol' days of his presidency (how could we forget a double-digit domestic "misery" index and the Iran hostage crises), Professor Alan Meese of of the College of William and Mary has a brillant column on "what the rule of law" actually requires. It appeared in the Daily Press of Hampton, VA on 4 Feb, but it is definitely worth a read. In his op-ed, Professor Meese makes a compelling case for presidential authority to conduct warrantless surveillance, in his role as commander-in-chief. And, he exposes the intellectual bankruptcy of Carter, Leahy, Al Gore, and other members of the Democratic Party's legal affairs division.
5 comments:
Well, his actions DID violate FISA and Gonzalez is not disputing that. He has argued that FISA was superceded by the resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq, but no one disputes that the actions violate FISA
Typical right-wing garbage.
Carter inherited the problems from the rotten leaders immediately before him.
He did the right things, trying to, for example, move the country away from dependancy on foreign oil (including the symbolic installation of a solar panel at the White House, yanked out by Reagan).
In fact, Carter did a hell of a lot more to win the cold war than Reagan, despite the right wing propaganda and cult doctrine - Reagan said 'tear down this wall', and Carter secretly implemented a policy designed to draw the Soviets into the 'Afghanistan trap', which had a lot more effect on the end of the USSR than Reagan's speech.
Carter - who by telling the truth gets called a 'dictator apologist' in the right wing distortions here - is right on the Bush administration breaking the law on FISA.
Gonzales' dancing around and refusing to answer the questions is a clear indicator of the indefensibility of the law-breaking he and Bush are engaging in.
They know any admission of wrongdoing will hurt them, now that a patriot revealed their illegal activities, and so they're defending the indefensible. The only question is whether the republican machine has destroyed so much of the government's integrity that is cannot hold anyone accountable.
So many fallacies, so little time. But before I begin, let me welcome the Daily Kos crowd to this little corner of the blogosphere. Contrarian views are alwasy welcome, however misguided they might be.
Proponents of the "Bush broke the law" school of thought view the FISA statute as the supreme law of the land, trumping all else, including Presidential powers under the second and fourth amendments. In fact, the President has broad legal authority conduct warrantless surveillance and searches under these articles, declarations of war (Wilson and FDR ordered the intercept of all communications in/out of the country in World Wars I/II), with no concern for civil liberties, and the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AMUR) in Afghanistan and Iraq.
There is a solid body of legal though and precedence to support this position. In fact, the FISA Court of Appeals wrote in 2002 that if it tried to limit the President's authority to conduct warrantless surveillance, that decision would probably be unconstitutional, and quickly overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. Even judges who work FISA cases every day recognize that the law has its limits, and cannot trump long-established presidential powers.
It's also easy to shoot down the argument that "there's no reason not to use the FISA court." True, the court rarely rejects a search warrant request, but you ignore the bureaucracy associated with the process. Talk to career prosecutors and FBI agents who work FISA cases. It's not unusual for a FISA warrant to take a month for approval, since there has to be a finding from the Attorney General before the process can proceed. In some cases, it's taken up to six months to approve a warrant. That's plenty of time for a terrorist to move or change cell phones, and the trail has grown cold by the time the warrant is signed. Once again, there is an ample body of legal thought/precedence that supports the "hot pursuit" of terror suspects through warrantless surveillance--with prior approval from the FISA court.
Finally, I can't resist the claim that Jimmy Carter had a "secret" plan for luring the Russians into Afghanistan. That premise is simply ludicrous and doesn't pass the muster of history. When the USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1979, it was motivated (in part) by perceptions of American weakness, brought on by U.S. domestic problems (including Carter's double-digit misery index) and his handling of the Iran hostage crisis. The Soviets saw an opportunity, seized it, and we were almost powerless to do anything about it, thanks to the deep defense cuts of the Ford and Carter Administrations.
Serious aid didn't start flowing to the Mujahedin until after Reagan took office and Bill Casey began to reinvigorate the operations directorate at Langley. However, the issue remained in doubt until the mid-80s, when the U.S. finally began supplying Stinger missiles, which ended Russian air superiority. BTW, there are some Democrats who do deserve credit for the turnaround in Afghanistan, notably Texas Congressman Charlie Stenholm, who pressed the CIA early to make the missiles available. By that time, Carter had been out of the White House for more than five years.
One more point: someone described Carter's "Iran Crisis" as a "few hostages that were later released." That's a gross over-simplification, to say the least. The hostages were taken because Carter pulled the plan on a long-time U.S. ally (the Shah of Iran), the sat by while the Iranians created a theocracy whose "student" minions seized the U.S. embassy and our staff in Tehran. The 1979 revolution in Iran helped accelerate the spread of terrorism across the region; the rise of Hizballah and Hamas followed the ascendancy of the mullahs in Tehran. So, in that regard, Carter bears a share of the blame for current problems in the Middle East, as do other Presidents, who let the problem fester for decades.
"But I'd have to say that, for cramming the largest amount of hooey in the smallest possible space, yours takes first prize."
A big claim you utterly fail to prove.
Your entire argument consists of an 'is not, is too' response that his presidency was bad and that 'he knows it'. Wow, what an argument.
It's sad to see the low level of thinking in some people's opinions.
Carter should have refused a Nobel Prize which was honoring his work in contrast to the poor policies of the current administration - when Carter agrees with that opinion and supports the statement? Why?
The little right-wing bubble seems unaware of broad world opinion.
You should put the keyboard up now for a while, tail between legs, after making such a broadside with so little to back it up. A man with honor would.
"So many fallacies, so little time."
Thanks for the warning about your post, and your only accuracy.
Your arguments:
1. 'He has the constitutional power'.
Except that pretty much every expert I've seen who is not one of those who is of the sort to say what the right wants regardless of the truth, says otherwise. And that Bush hasn't taken this to the Supreme Court.
Let's test your theory in court: the administration is in no rush to.
2. "It's also easy to shoot down the argument that "there's no reason not to use the FISA court.""
Then why don't you do it, instead of what you did, which is a bogus argument about the administrative difficulties with month-long waits for warrants, falsely describing the process which in fact even allows the government to begin the tap immediately, with a warrant obtained days after it begins, when needed?
Your argument was simply a lie by ommission.
"Finally, I can't resist the claim that Jimmy Carter had a "secret" plan for luring the Russians into Afghanistan. That premise is simply ludicrous and doesn't pass the muster of history."
More bogus arguing from the right, who is good only at the name-calling, not the actual fact gathering which would show your claims wrong.
Let's look at the 1990's statement of Carter's National Security Advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski, in an interview:
"Question: The former director of the CIA, Robert Gates, stated in his memoirs ["From the Shadows"], that American intelligence services began to aid the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan 6 months before the Soviet intervention. In this period you were the national security adviser to President Carter. You therefore played a role in this affair. Is that correct?
Brzezinski: Yes. According to the official version of history, CIA aid to the Mujahadeen began during 1980, that is to say, after the Soviet army invaded Afghanistan, 24 Dec 1979. But the reality, secretly guarded until now, is completely otherwise Indeed, it was July 3, 1979 that President Carter signed the first directive for secret aid to the opponents of the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul. And that very day, I wrote a note to the president in which I explained to him that in my opinion this aid was going to induce a Soviet military intervention.
Q: Despite this risk, you were an advocate of this covert action. But perhaps you yourself desired this Soviet entry into war and looked to provoke it?
B: It isn't quite that. We didn't push the Russians to intervene, but we knowingly increased the probability that they would.
Q: When the Soviets justified their intervention by asserting that they intended to fight against a secret involvement of the United States in Afghanistan, people didn't believe them. However, there was a basis of truth. You don't regret anything today?
B: Regret what? That secret operation was an excellent idea. It had the effect of drawing the Russians into the Afghan trap and you want me to regret it? The day that the Soviets officially crossed the border, I wrote to President Carter. We now have the opportunity of giving to the USSR its Vietnam war. Indeed, for almost 10 years, Moscow had to carry on a war unsupportable by the government, a conflict that brought about the demoralization and finally the breakup of the Soviet empire.
Q: And neither do you regret having supported the Islamic fundamentalism, having given arms and advice to future terrorists?
B: What is most important to the history of the world? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some stirred-up Moslems or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the cold war?"
You have your propagandistic narrative and you're locked to it.
Carter bad, Reagan hero, it's just sad to see a fellow American so tragically duped and ill-informed in the right-wing cult.
Swede, I'll respond to everything in your post of substance, that isn't simply the typical dishonest name-calling by the right:
Done.
The right is just aching to give up their constitutional rights.
It's bizarre and irrational behavior - and cowardly.
Protect us, oh great Bush... oh, you need our rights? Here you go...
Eisenhower said to beware the excessive influence on the government of the military-industrial complex. Currently we see why, and more all the time.
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