McCain Supports Bush's Warrantless Wiretaps

The New York Times reports today on how John McCain has flipped his position on warrantless wiretapping to look very similar to George Bush's. Below are a couple paragraphs from the article that reflect how John McCain has flip-flopped toward Bush:

A top adviser to Senator John McCain says Mr. McCain believes that President Bush's program of wiretapping without warrants was lawful, a position that appears to bring him into closer alignment with the sweeping theories of executive authority pushed by the Bush administration legal team.

In a letter posted online by National Review this week, the adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, said Mr. McCain believed that the Constitution gave Mr. Bush the power to authorize the National Security Agency to monitor Americans' international phone calls and e-mail without warrants, despite a 1978 federal statute that required court oversight of surveillance...

...But Mr. McCain had previously stopped short of endorsing the view that Mr. Bush's program of surveillance without warrants was lawful all along because a president's wartime powers can trump statutory limits.

Andrew C. McCarthy, a National Review columnist who has defended the administration's legal theories, wrote that Mr. Holtz-Eakin's statement "implicitly shows Senator McCain's thinking has changed as time has gone on and he has educated himself on this issue."

And Glenn Greenwald, a Salon columnist and critic of the Bush administration's legal claims, wrote that the statement was a "complete reversal" by Mr. McCain, accusing the candidate of seeking "to shore up the support of right-wing extremists."

Comments

[KINGS]

What else is new. Even though the MSM is not reporting it, McBush is a flip-flopper and a hypocrite. Everyone that needs evidence should visit http://therealmccain.com and see for yourselves.

[janvoght]

we can only blame ourselves for allowing this president a second term, to allow a third GW term would certainly be unacceptable, no?
obama '08

[BWonka]

Flip flop.

Maverick? Or stooopid, uncaring old man? And this is the "great leader" the former supporters of Sen. Clinton feel would make a great President? This is the man they want instead of supporting Sen. Clinton's party?

Flip flop. Just what you'd expect from some loser on his last campaign with his lips firmly attached to the butt of the WORST PRESIDENT EVER.

Obama 08. Democrats 08. America 08.

[LarsGruber]

I owned a Maverick in 1979.

I wasn't very impressed then either.

[SCG]

It out classed the Gremlin, you must be an elitist.

[ducksawce]

WORST OLD MAN EVER

[oneeyedodin]

It says a lot (and not good stuff) about Americans that such a man as McCain is even a candidate for POTUS. Worse still, he has a very good chance of winning.
Americans pride themselves on being 'better' than others but McCain's candidacy shows that belief to be just another a fantasy.
Just like the 1776 fairytale

[Tulka2]

We need to ask Obama how much of this new Executive power he intends to give up. Human beings don't like to give up power once they have it. I have heard very little from my man Obama on the subject of the Patriot act. It always puzzled me as to why Republicans would be so eager to give up our liberties to a Democratic President of the future.
BTW...? Read in today's "Seattle Post Intellingencer" that McCain would be our "most superstitous President to date". Get this... McCain has lucky socks and shirts and "demands" them on stressful days. Yikes. How's that for a little too much post truamatic stress syndrome??! Just the kind of thing one would expect from a former prisoner of war who was never treated for his little life-saving rituals once he was out in the real world again. I know i am supposed to preface all this with a sign of the cross sort of "we respect him for his service", but i truely would respect him more if he had grown up in the Admiral's household and split for Canada instead of dishing out death from above in Nam. Those are the heros i respect.

[Cunningham]

Fact Check: Obama's Consistent Position on the Patriot Act

http://www.barackobama.com/factcheck/2008/01/05/fact_check_obamas_consistent_p_1.php

[ThunderclapNewman]

Testing:

Obama vs. McCain.

[gotalife]

Yes, while this blog has kept you busy hating the Clintons, there is an oil crises and our economy is collapsing.

[VolvoBirkenstock]

You are assuming that we use this blog for the purpose of keeping up on the latest news.

~snicker~

[janvoght]

got a life, obviously was voting for hillary...­who voted for a war (neglecting to read the available WMDs report) that has distracted the american people and it's leadership from paying attention to many of our critical issues, no?

obama '08

[lisakaz2]

So you've come here to do what?

[BeyondGoodAndEvil]

to prove gotalife hasn't got one.

[gladys46]

We just hangin' around here waiting for 'THE CLINTONS" to concede!

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

And McBush has not plan for addressing either while Renegade has policies that will address both. What's your point anyway?

[DeSwiss]

Oil crisis? Economy collapsing? And nothing but Bush's and Clinton's for the past 20 years.

You do the math.....

:-|

[bija]

I think there is going to be a landslide win for Obama this fall.

[Crozier]

Ever since the days when John Kerry was "swiftboated" or Senator Max Cleland was defeated by Senator Chambliss, I have known or rather felt that there is some truth behind the service heroism of Senator McCain..

After reading this, ostensibly from Republicans who are also Nam vets like me....I, an Obama partisan, feel vindicated in my support.

You probably have seen: http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/

You know, McCain has lambasted another Annapolis graduate (the only other) who was nominated and unlike he, was elected 39th POTUS.....­Jimmy Carter was an honours graduate. McCain was in lowest tenth of his class and crashed his aircraft on the first of his initial sorties.

[Celldumceen]

Jesus Christ, On Whole Wheat Toast! Does anyone need anymore proof that this guy is John McSame?

[williamg]

Has McElderly decided to drop that Islamo-fascist green background when he makes future speeches?

[crispusattucks]

Go Celtics!!!

[LPK]

I am not sure that McCain is serious about competing in this election. He looks like a man who has arrived at this incredibly momentous point and is cracking under the enormous strain. His unbelievably bad performance during his speech on Tuesday night where he looked like he had awful stage fright actually had me worried about his mental health. This man was subjected terrible torture in Vietnam and I doubt that he ever received proper treatment when he came back and he seems the macho type that would try and brush off the effects of something like that . Seriously, he looks just awful but don't believe me ( read Fox News critiques of his speech). He has 5 months more to go and these are the crucial 5 months. We may yet see a candidate crumble before our eyes before the election is even held.

[Suthngal]

Wish I had a time machine. I would jump to November and end this nightmare.

[williamg]

Wow, I don't know if I could handle jumping straight to November. Who knows how bad things will be then. I might need these next couple months to ease into it.

[LarsGruber]

good point.

[onenation]

Wasn't it McCain who was going to deal with Bush and save us from the tortrure / hebous result and then wimped out?

[LeaveArtieAlone]

Other than being a FANTASTIC opportunity for comedy writers, I fail to see how John McCain would make a good prez.