California Conservative

Dick Morris has written a brilliant op-ed on the consequences of the lapsing of the Patriot Act. Here’s a sampling of his brilliant op-ed:

It is particularly galling that Sens. Clinton and Chuck Schumer, whose New York constituents are in the terrorists’ bull’s-eye, voted to let these vital protections expire. How galling? One of the key provisions due to expire in two weeks is one that President Bill Clinton presented as the cornerstone of his response to the escalation of terrorism in the wake of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. The measure allows “roving wiretaps”, so that the FBI can tap all phones a suspect uses, rather than just one specific number. Hillary’s vote to let this provision expire is incredible.

Here’s another sample:

As a further Christmas anti-present to New Yorkers, Clinton, Schumer & Co. are also killing the Patriot Act provision that demolishes the infamous wall, erected by Clinton-era Deputy Attorney General Jamie S. Gorelick, between those who investigate terrorism and those who prosecute suspects.

This is the epitome of arrogance. When Sens. Schumer and Clinton vote to sustain the filibuster, they’re voting to let the most important provision in the Patriot Act expire. That isn’t accpetable and they should get whacked for this irresponsible behavior.

Before Clinton and Schumer criticize this policy, they’d do well to reflect on the fact that the Brooklyn Bridge might well be rubble, with thousands dead, if Bush did not use these wiretaps.

In 2002, the feds (presumably the NSA) picked up random cellphone chatter using the words “Brooklyn Bridge” (which apparently didn’t translate well into Arabic). They notified the New York Police Department, which flooded the bridge with cops. Then the feds overheard a phone call in which a man said things were “too hot” on the bridge to pull off an operation. Later, an interrogation of a terrorist allowed by the Patriot Act led cops to the doorstep of this would-be bridge bomber. (His plans would definitely have brought down the bridge, NYPD sources told me.)

Why didn’t Bush get a warrant? On who? For what? The NSA wasn’t looking for a man who might blow up the bridge. It had no idea what it was looking for. It just intercepted random phone calls from people in the United States to those outside, and so heard the allusions to the bridge that tipped them off.

What the hyperventillating Agenda Media hasn’t mentioned in this entire debate is that the FISA Court won’t issue wiretap warrants without probable cause. But you won’t hear that from the Agenda Media. They’ll tell you things like 19,000 cases have been brought to the FISA Court and only 5 haven’t been granted. What they won’t tell you is that that number is terribly misleading, that lots of wiretap requests get ’scrubbed’ by the Justice Department before they get there.

They also haven’t told you is that the bar is intentionally set high for granting these wiretap warrants. The Agenda Media would have you believe that any Joe Schmoe intelligence agent can waltz into the FISA Court and get a warrant. They’d have you believe that the FISA Court is a rubberstamp. That’s irresponsible. That’s shameful.

I’d like to thank Dick Morris for writing this article and shining the spotlight on the irresponsible behavior of New York’s senators. Their actions are beneath contempt.

UPDATE:
Michelle Malkin: Where’s the Left’s outrage over satellite spying?

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRing

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 20th, 2005 at 11:39 am and is filed under Author: Gary Gross, Hillary, Homeland Security, Terrorism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.