Top Cheney Aide: "We're One Bomb Away From Getting Rid" Of Wiretapping Court

The New York Times Magazine   |  Jeffrey Rosen   |   September 4, 2007 01:40 PM


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Goldsmith emphasizes that he was not opposed to investigating the leak, which he agreed with President Bush did "great harm to the nation." In addition, he shared the White House's concern that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act might prevent wiretaps on international calls involving terrorists. But Goldsmith deplored the way the White House tried to fix the problem, which was highly contemptuous of Congress and the courts. "We're one bomb away from getting rid of that obnoxious [FISA] court," Goldsmith recalls Addington telling him in February 2004.

In his book, Goldsmith claims that Addington and other top officials treated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act the same way they handled other laws they objected to: "They blew through them in secret based on flimsy legal opinions that they guarded closely so no one could question the legal basis for the operations," he writes. Goldsmith's first experienced this extraordinary concealment, or "strict compartmentalization," in late 2003 when, he recalls, Addington angrily denied a request by the N.S.A.'s inspector general to see a copy of the Office of Legal Counsel's legal analysis supporting the secret surveillance program. "Before I arrived in O.L.C., not even N.S.A. lawyers were allowed to see the Justice Department's legal analysis of what N.S.A. was doing," Goldsmith writes.

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this domestic wiretapping in the name of national security is all bullshit. firstly, any even moderately organized and sophisticated terrorist group, (and you probably need to be massively organized and disciplined to pull off even a mid-scale terrorist caper) is very hard to electronically surveil. they can obfuscate their digital/analog communications with a code language that no data-mining and predictive algorithms can reasonably use to find and uncover plots.

secondly, they, and we can encrypt their email using PGP. if their communications are entirely domestic the NSA could not decrypt them because the key lengths are too big. even if they were cracked, the likelihood that it would be timely and that then they wouldn't know what the code language meant makes it meaningless. the same goes for incredibly cheap, easy-to-configure, encrypted private wireless phone networks. skilled terrorists and our government know all of this.

so, who is this surveillence for? it can be used by unsavory elements in the government for all kinds of gain having nothing to do with national security. let's face it. saudi arabian terrorists, if that is who perpetrated 9/11, only went after a highly strategic target - multiple times. but, big brother can now identify the next MLK or Malcolm X and their key associates long before they have a chance to inspire and galvanize a popular movement.

folks, consider our government the modern day torries trying to identify the next patrick henry, ben franklin, tom paine ... they want to disappear and torture them long before you go down in history as the ones who overthrew a tyrannical imperial united states government.

so cheney and the democrats and republicans in congress who are aiding and abetting him, go fuck yourselves! and my fellow citizens, we need to say that in the form of a massive overhaul of congress in the '08 elections. find a local patriot who respects our constitution and send them to dc to restore our rights. it is about time we unfucked ourselves from this mess.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:36 AM on 09/05/2007
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"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, THE TRUTH IS THE GREATEST ENEMY OF THE STATE." -- Joseph Goebbels, German Minister of Propaganda, 1933-1945
"The mind of a bigot is like the pupil of an eye: the more light you pour on it, the more it contracts."
Chief Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, U.S. Supreme Court
"When facism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." -Sinclair Lewis

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:58 PM on 09/04/2007
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Bush administration...what a bunch of clueless losers.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:49 PM on 09/04/2007

this domestic wiretapping in the name of national security is all bullshit. firstly, any even moderately organized and sophisticated terrorist group, (and you probably need to be massively organized and disciplined to pull off even a mid-scale terrorist caper) is very hard to electronically surveil. they can obfuscate their digital/analog communications with a code language that no data-mining and predictive algorithms can reasonably use to find and uncover plots.

secondly, they, and we can encrypt their email using PGP. if their communications are entirely domestic the NSA could not decrypt them because the key lengths are too big. even if they were cracked, the likelihood that it would be timely and that then they wouldn't know what the code language meant makes it meaningless. the same goes for incredibly cheap, easy-to-configure, encrypted private wireless phone networks. skilled terrorists and our government know all of this.

so, who is this surveillence for? it can be used by unsavory elements in the government for all kinds of gain having nothing to do with national security. let's face it. saudi arabian terrorists, if that is who perpetrated 9/11, only went after a highly strategic target - multiple times. but, big brother can now identify the next MLK or Malcolm X and their key associates long before they have a chance to inspire and galvanize a popular movement.

folks, consider our government the modern day torries trying to identify the next patrick henry, ben franklin, tom paine ... they want to disappear and torture them long before you go down in history as the ones who overthrew a tyrannical imperial united states government.

so cheney and the democrats and republicans in congress who are aiding and abetting him, go fuck yourselves! and my fellow citizens, we need to say that in the form of a massive overhaul of congress in the '08 elections. find a local patriot who respects our constitution and send them to dc to restore our rights. it is about time we unfucked ourselves from this mess.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:09 PM on 09/04/2007
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... and these are just the folks to put that bomb in place. Have you seen "The Long Kiss Goodnight"? It seems that They have, and use it as a guideline.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:47 PM on 09/04/2007
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Have you ever noticed that the Neo-Con wet dream is to have another bombing in Amerika.

You can almost here them kneeling by their bedside, "Just one more bombing is all we ask. Just one attack to keep us in power. Just one attack to let us destroy the bill of rights, the Constitution, civil liberty. Just one bomb to give us total control and one party rule. Please, dear Bin Laden, please please please just give us a terrorist attack so we can win the Presidency and the Congress and send riches to our wealthy corporate friends, privatize the world, rip up the social programs that so annoy us. Just one more bomb to silence all dissent, control all speech, run all newspapers. Just one more bomb!!! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzeeeeee."

Meanwhile down in Cheney's secret office comes the word, "Be patient, we're working on it. We just have to make sure that nobody thinks it was us. Also, we need a good reporter from the NY Times and Washington Post to channel our message. Anybody know what Judith Miller is doing these days?"

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:27 PM on 09/04/2007

I hope the Secret Service has had Addington bugged since the Brewster Jennings destruction.

http://www.light-to-dark.com/four_lapel_pins.html

Congress has the duty to protect us against such a fascist subversion. Stripping away any and all protections is what fascists do. Even country bumpkin fascists, like Bush.

The prize is the country.

What would our representatives do if the junta declares martial law? Name your conditions.

Senator Boxer?

Senator Feinstein?
.


    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:07 PM on 09/04/2007
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I cannot understand there is no outrage by Americans because of the undermining of our Constitution, the illegal wire taps, spying on Americans, and obviously any law, that would have made it impossible for any of this too happen was ignored, revoked, or just plain didn't exist in their minds.
The people are not only corrup, they are dangerous. I believe Iraq is a perfect case in point.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:57 PM on 09/04/2007

Democrats...pssttt. Democrats...wake up...
Grow a spine and impeach the criminals bush and cheney before it's too late.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:25 PM on 09/04/2007
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This is one helluva way to pitch someone's book?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:14 PM on 09/04/2007

Bush and Chertoff want another attack upon America then they can create their full fascist Unitary Dictatorship under NSPD-51..

I'm sure it's already been arranged but closer to the elections and or primaries..!

NSPD-51 and Executive Order 14348..!

American Fascism, Bush's Grandpa's Nazi Wet Dream made real..we already have The Blackwater Black shirts deploying in California and New Orleans..!

Simple as that...

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:54 PM on 09/04/2007

These White House criminals should be marching behind a jailers on there way to cell. Criminals one and all!!!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:52 PM on 09/04/2007
- DDA I'm a Fan of DDA permalink

I have been saying for months that the republican party is going to set off another attack early next year to circumvent the Constitution and put FEAR back in the people.

I am holding this administration and the republican party responsible for any attack on this Country they SOLD us out on 9/11 and they will sellus out again, this is about POWER not government notr is it about Leadership which is severly lacking with the TALKING MONKEY and the Spineless,Gutless, Coward and TRAITOR cheney.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:46 PM on 09/04/2007
- loki I'm a Fan of loki permalink
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Im sure the Bush administration is working on making that 'one bomb' happen soon. They really want to upstage the KGB and Chinese. I think its a game to them.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:42 PM on 09/04/2007
- TC I'm a Fan of TC permalink

The One Percent Doctrine means that it will be wrong 99% of the time. And people think Cheney is smart, I don"t know how.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:38 PM on 09/04/2007

If there is a one percent chance that further terrorist attacks could come to out shores we must throw out the Constitution and give more no-bid contracts to Halliburton and KBR. David Addington carries around a pocket sized US Constitution so he can screw you out of your rights for Cheney. Who pays his salary? You!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:08 PM on 09/04/2007
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