You Knew This Was Coming

The New York Times reports that Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales "suggested" on Thursday that the President has the authority to order wiretaps for calls made between parties within the United States without wiretaps.

"I'm not going to rule it out," Gonzales said when asked about that possibility at a House Judiciary Committee hearing.

The attorney general made his comments, which critics said reflected a broadened view of the president's authority, as President Bush offered another strong defense of his decision to authorize the National Security Agency to eavesdrop without warrants on international calls and e-mail messages to or from the United States.

Bush, in an appearance in North Carolina, told a questioner who attacked the program that he would "absolutely not" apologize for authorizing it.

"You can come to whatever conclusion you want" about the merits of the program," Bush said. "The conclusion is I'm not going to apologize for what I did on the terrorist surveillance program."

At the House hearing, Gonzales faced tough questioning from Democrats and Republicans but declined to discuss many operational details.

He will tap your phones without a warrant, arrest you without charge, hold you without counsel, and imprison you for life without trial. This man has no concept of Constitutional Democracy, Rule of Law, or International law.

This should frighten everybody. Right-wing, Left-wing, it shouldn't matter. This is exactly what conservatives have been railing against for decades, the creeping power of the federal government. Yet now that it's here, they cheer and paint all those who speak out against it as traitors.

Canada is a great country, but with its close proximity, how can I be sure that if I move there, George Bush won't bring democracy to Canada?

Alberto Gonzales Wire Tapping George W. Bush