Warrantless Wiretapping...Pre- 9/11?!?!?!

While the Dems act appalled by the Bush administration's use of warrant-less wiretapping of Americans, they continue to pass laws that allows for it's continuation. Last August, before Congress' summer recess, there was a buzz throughout Washington that an imminent terrorist attack was coming, in Washington. Coincidentally, the Bush administration was pushing Congress to pass a law (the "Protect America Act," that would take oversight of wiretapping away from the FISA courts and give it to (wait for it...) the administration's own Justice Department. Under normal circumstances this would be merely unacceptable; but at least the Justice Department normally acts independently and could be trusted to act within the law. This law however, would have given oversight to Alberto ("Geneva conventions are quaint,") Gonzalez' Justice Department while most Democrats, and many Republicans, were calling for him to resign for his major part in the US Attorneys scandal. Political expediency, and fears of that "imminent attack," led to a yes vote, but the law was only temporary is set to expire in February. Congress has tried to pass a re-authorization of the law with major changes. Mainly, oversight would go back to the FISA court, and the Congress would not grant civil immunity to phone companies that gave phone records over to the government, in possible violation of their customers privacy. The wiretapping without warrants would continue though. Bush has threatened to veto any law that does not include immunity for the phone companies.

The Dems, doing what they do, have indicated that they just may fold and grant immunity after finding out more about the scope of the information that the phone companies have provided. Most companies have not been very forthcoming, citing the administration's national security concerns. Verizon has been a little more upfront with Congress, admitting that they have fulfilled over 63,000 administration request since 2005, over 700 of them without a warrant. While the administration continues to stonewall against Congress' demand for information regarding the program, reports have come out that these request started before 9/11!

A former Quest executive, on trail for insider trading in 2001, claims that Qwest lost a lucrative government contract after refusing give customer phone records to the NSA in February of 2001. This might give Congress enough pause to stand up and DEMAND all relevant information about this program, when it really started, what's it's real purpose and what's its true scope. Then again, maybe not...