In a very rare decision, a federal intelligence court validated the assertions of the Bush administration that it did, indeed, have the right and power to exercise surveillance over the private telephone calls of Americans, if in fact they were part of the wider purpose of gathering national intelligence.
The decision came down in an August 2008 ruling by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review. It came in an unclassified, redacted form.
Many on the left had screamed for months that Bush was violating the ‘civil rights’ of Americans with such surveillance. Personally, I don’t even know where they come up with such nonsense, as it had little to do with “civil rights”, but the court struck even that notion down, citing that the Government is not violating the 4th Amendment’s search and seizure clause, as it (the amendment) offers an exception for the gathering of national intelligence.
Making this substantial is the fact that this is the first time that said court or ANY appeals court has ruled on the Presidential ability to utilize such wiretapping ability. We call this “precedence”, and suspect it will have an effect of sending a shudder through the left, who, once again, was incredibly WRONG on a matter of national security.
They really need to gather some intelligence of their own, before they waste the nation’s time on such frivolous claims.
On the eve of the President’s departure from office, on at least this one issue, Bush’s legacy will remain sound, due to his patriotic, and well founded understanding of law, the constitution, and what it will take to protect America.
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