In today’s Senate Judiciary hearing on domestic intelligence, Alberto Gonzales stated the president was his client – implied: his duty is to protect and defend the president. It seems the Attorney General needs to go back and read his oath of office. I believe his client is the Constitution and the American people, not the Emperor.
I want to capitalize on Sen. Grassley’s (R-Iowa) meaningless ramblings at this moment to give a brief update on the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on NSA’s surveillance. This is a simple statement on a very profound issue. The matter at hand, the NSA’s warrantless searches, is not going to be an argument of did the president break the law. That will be debated, but our Constitution is on the preface of being tested to it’s limits. The salient point is, who has the power to do what, specifically, what are the limits of the president’s powers (none as presently presented by the administration), and to what extent can Congress contain the president through making and amending laws.
This issue will go far beyond the finite war on terror.
In my opinion, Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) have made the most profound points through their statements and questions. I will elaborate on that in another post.
I cannot cite the source via link, but I understand that Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said the United States is considering military action against Iran.
I will be watching the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Hearing today; Alberto Gonzales is testifying today and presenting the president’s argument on his powers as Commander-in-Chief. When the meeting adjourns, or something notable come up, I will return to blogging.
