Everything we have fought against as a nation over history is being destroyed
as we speak. At the head of the destruction is George Bush. Fortunately members
of Congress are starting to awaken from their slumber and realize the dreadful
road Bush is leading us down and coming out against it.

In his press conference today Bush vowed to continue to use these illegal
wiretaps and said repeatedly that leaders of Congress have been briefed more
than a dozen times on the program. Democrats are coming out and countering
Bush’s lie with facts and statements that show they were not invoved in that
many meetings and all facts were not disclosed to them.

The harshest proof comes from Senator Jay Rockefeller who released a letter
today that he wrote to Cheney in 2003 about his concerns over the program:

July 17, 2003 Dear Mr. Vice President, I am writing to reiterate my
concern regarding the sensitive intelligence issues we discussed today with
the DCI, DIRNSA, and Chairman Roberts and our House Intelligence Committee
counterparts.

Clearly the activities we discussed raise profound oversight issues. As
you know, I am neither a technician or an attorney. Given the security
restrictions associated with this information, and my inability to consult
staff or counsel on my own, I feel unable to fully evaluate, much less
endorse these activities.

As I reflected on the meeting today, and the future we face, John
Poindexter’s TIA project sprung to mind, exacerbating my concern regarding
the direction the Administration is moving with regard to security,
technology, and surveiliance.

Without more information and the ability to draw on any independent legal
or techical expertise, I simply cannot satisfy lingering concerns raised by
the briefing we received.

I am retaining a copy of this letter in a sealed envelope in the secure
spaces of the Senate Intelligence Committee to ensure that I have a record
of this communication.

I appreciate your consideration of my views.

Most respectfully,

Jay Rockefeller

View PDF of original letter along with statement released today
here.

Former Senate Majority Leader, Tom Daschele released a statement today about
his briefing on the program while he was in office.

Between 2002 and 2004, the White House notified me in classified
briefings about NSA programs related to the war on terrorism. The briefers
made clear they were not seeking my advice or consent, but were simply
informing me about new actions. If subsequent public accounts are accurate,
it now also appears the briefers omitted key details, including important
information about the scope of the program.

Even with some of the more troublesome – and potentially illegal –
details omitted, I still raised significant concern about these actions. As
such, I am surprised and disappointed that the White House would now suggest
that none of us informed of the program objected.

View complete release

here.

Harry Reid, the Minority Leader has also released a statement which shows the
lack of meetings lately and that facts were not fully disclosed on the program.

“The President asserted in his December 17th radio address that “leaders
in Congress have been briefed more than a dozen times on this authorization
and the activities conducted under it.” This statement gives the American
public a very misleading impression that the President fully consulted with
Congress.

“First, it is quite likely that 96 Senators of 100 Senators, including 13
of 15 on the Senate Intelligence Committee first learned about this program
in the New York Times, not from any Administration briefing.

“I personally received a single very short briefing on this program
earlier this year prior to its public disclosure. That briefing occurred
more than three years after the President said this program began.

“The Administration briefers did not seek my advice or consent about the
program, and based on what I have heard publicly since, key details about
the program apparently were not provided to me.

View complete statement

here.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, former Senator Bob Graham appeared on
nightline Friday night and his statement pretty much echoes what everyone else
has said – they were not told the extent of this program and the legal issues.
Furthermore if they discussed it with anyone outside of the meeting it could of
landed them in jail.

Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle are not laying down on this
issue, and they should not. Rep. Louis Slaughter has started a petition to
demand full congressional investigations into these actions. You can sign the
letter by clicking the link on the right under the Get Active heading.

Sen. Barbara Boxer is the first Senator to start floating the actual term of
impeachment on the issue and released the following statement this evening:

On December 16, along with the rest of America, I learned that President
Bush authorized the National Security Agency to spy on Americans without
getting a warrant from a judge. President Bush underscored his support for
this action in his press conference today.

On Sunday, December 18, former White House Counsel John Dean and I
participated in a public discussion that covered many issues, including this
surveillance. Mr. Dean, who was President Nixon’s counsel at the time of
Watergate, said that President Bush is “the first President to admit to an
impeachable offense.” Today, Mr. Dean confirmed his statement.

This startling assertion by Mr. Dean is especially poignant because he
experienced first hand the executive abuse of power and a presidential
scandal arising from the surveillance of American citizens.

Given your constitutional expertise, particularly in the area of
presidential impeachment, I am writing to ask for your comments and thoughts
on Mr. Dean’s statement.

Unchecked surveillance of American citizens is troubling to both me and
many of my constituents. I would appreciate your thoughts on this matter as
soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer

United States Senator

Statement

link

Representative John Lewis of Georgia said in a radio interview today that if
Bush broke the law with these taps then he should be impeached.

“Its a very serious charge, but he violated the law,” said Lewis, a
former civil rights leader. “The president should abide by the law. He
deliberately, systematically violated the law. He is not King, he is
president.”

View complete article
here.

We are finally seeing the outrage from both sides of Congress that we should
of seen back in May when it the Downing Street Memos first came to light. On
that subject, Rep. Conyers is set to release his investigative report into the
Downing Street Memos tomorrow which should also add further damage to the
President.

As citizens of this country it is our duty to hold our leaders accountable.
We can not sit by idly and allow the President to ignore the law of the land and
engage in activities that are common place in communistic societies. Ever
citizen should write their Representative and Senators and urge a complete and
thorough investigation into this act and if laws were broken then immediately
move to hearings of impeachment. This is not only for the President but also the
vice-President. Both were involved and both must answer to their bosses – the
people of this country.