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

[noneIn2008]

No reversal here. Typical politician. He was "against it before he was for it"?
Double talk is standard operating procedure for the Republicans and Democrats. Better yet, phrase it in something meaningless like "I will take all necessary steps to insure the security of America".

[abouttime]

McCain is dangerous.
I take my rights seriously. I use them now to express my dearset sympathy to those at the NSC who eavedrop on my phone, e-mail or photograph me. My opposition to my government is in the belief that we the people can bring back our government to the people... where it belongs!
Did you copy that NSC employee, or "government spy".
America is not yours to destroy!
The whole world is watching!

[georgiaR]

Warrantless wiretapping?? President Bush has kept us from another terrorist attack in over 6 years.
I hope if the appeaser Obama is elected he will do the same.

[CommonSensePlease]

Listen to someone from Arizona!
McCain is not only a flip-flopper but an hypocrite and HE IS OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND THE REAL WORLD. For example, McCain discovered one month ago that Katrina occurred a few years ago in Louisiana. WHERE WAS MCBUSH IN THE PAST FEW YEARS???
HE IS OUT OF TOUCH!
HE IS OUT OF TOUCH!
HE IS SO OUT OF TOUCH!
HE IS SO OUT OF TOUCH!

[fedup07]

Really, did anyone think McSame would *not* be lockstep with Bush -come on!

What really frys me is that there is a law in place (Presidential Records Act) that government and this Administration email records, phone calls, documents and everything are BY LAW supposed to be kept -those are OURS (We the People) and we all know what happened to the millions of emails from the Bush White House and the RNC disappearing!!

So they are breaking the law twice! They are spying on us illegally and it's a massive violation of the Presidential Records Act, which requires the president to preserve records of all "activities, deliberations, decisions, and policies" -they "lost" everything.


IMPEACH! SEND THEM TO JAIL FOR THEIR CRIMES!!

[gladys46]

Might as well get our jabs in now ... his campaign will be far worst than anything said here ... the man knows nothing, maybe he's actually braindead for sure ... can't hardly look at him as he labors to read, speak, walk or monotone it ... torturing!

[WaveFunction]

I don't know what he's thinking. As time goes on the politically astute thing would be to move further and further away from Bush in terms of policy. Why is he switching on these positions when this will just make it easier to brand his Presidency as Bush third term.

It's irrational. Something is going on.

[williamg]

I agree, the guy really does know very little. This is a guy who couldn't even stand out against Dubya in a debate. Mind you, Dubya was not nearly the public speaker he is today (and he is a pathetic speaker today), and McCain couldn't even beat him.

I can't wait for him to go up against O'bama.

[thinbluetorpedo]

I get the same impression of him. I watched his speech this past Tuesday, amazing how he labored through it, with momentary stops to display his contemptuous grin and signature, "thats not change.....". He has the personality of a brick. It suits him well.

[williamg]

He is anything but an intellectual.

[blessedfrog]

Oh Hey - Didn't Obama vote for the Patriot Act? Not so good.

[tbrnotb]

One wrong vote does not end a political career,

[partyofone]

McCain is all over the map. The straight talk express is on a pandering joy ride.

Can any voter of any persausion say with confidence that they know what they would be voting for with McCain? The last thing we need is more of Bush, and McCain seems to need to buy into Bush for any hope of being elected. Scary.

There is also the issue of McCain's age and bufuddlement. He very often seems confused in this facts. Is it really "age discrimination" not to want a president who is frequently subjected to "senior moments?"

[protagonia]

Dear John McCain,

As a Viet Nam war hero,
As an American citizen,
As a human being -

For the love of all things good and decent, throw this fight to save us all. Take the dive. Lean into the strike zone and take one for the team. Flat out ruin your chances to serve this satanic administration's goals for our children. It is a furnace, and all who comply will have a great deal to explain should they be called to in the Hereafter. Make your crimes right. Do the right thing. Become good again.

Be that hero one more time. History will embrace you for that. Otherwise, your name will be as if it were a curse.

You know what to do. Save us from you. Remain as clumsy as you are and get no better. Allow us to choose Obama.

Defy your handlers.

Thank you!

[Grunty1]

Has anyone come with the term for the flip-flopping equilavent to a rapid cycling bipolar?
Just two days ago, McCain was running away from Bush. Guess he missed his warm embrace.

[DickTater]

I'm sure I'm not the first one to tell you, John, My Friend
but Th- That
That's not change we can believe in.

[GardenGnomes]

Being called a "flip-flopper" was one reason Kerry couldn't win in 2004. If that was enough for some people not to vote for him, I wonder if that will be enough for that to happen to McSame.

[ranger5]

You have to wonder who McCain's advisors are, besides Rove. McCain seems intent on committing political suicide, closely adhering to most of the policies of the least popular president in modern history, already regarded by many as the worst president ever. Between gluing himself to the president's unlawful and unconstitutional behaviors and a personal style that has morphed into some weird, semi-scary, Quasimodo-like presentation, as well as flip-flopping completely on so many critical issues, he is virtually insuring that he will not only lose, but will do so in a spectacular fashion. Which is fine with me. I'm not sure that guy has all his marbles.

[research]

Flip Flop, Flip Flop, Flip Flop...

[Tropiholic]

Perhaps Mcflippy thinks nobody will notice!!!

[gladys46]

Was he one of the 7 senators who actually read that Bush, Inc. authorization to use force agains Iraq ... before giving a YEA vote?

Most probably didn't read the GI bill either!

Contacts flipping too!