Neocons get it all wrong again...

Bill Kristol has written a propoganda piece advocating for more centralization of power in the hands of the President, while dismissing all notions that the People should be aware of what the government is doing in our names to protect us from the threat they tell us exists.

The difficulty with FISA is the standard it imposes for obtaining a warrant aimed at a "U.S. person"--a U.S. citizen or a legal alien: The standard suggests that, for all practical purposes, the Justice Department must already have in hand evidence that someone is a problem before they seek a warrant.

The only alternative is to spy on a US citizen with no evidence against him. Given that the FISA courts have granted virtually every warrant request ever presented to it, this argument hardly holds water.

It is not easy because the Founders intended the executive to have--believed the executive needed to have--some powers in the national security area that were extralegal but constitutional.

The article probably refers to Hamilton here, as he was a noted supporter of a strong executive branch, but it is important to note that Hamilton had stiff opposition, and is thought to have "lost" the debate in the final draft of the Constitution.

The problem with Kristol's knee-jerk support for Bush is two-fold. First, more and more Americans are doubting Bush's sincerity because he simply won't close down the Mexican border. Trying to sell the country on these grave threats to our national security has been more difficult lately as people have become more aware of our unguarded borders.

Second, many of us believe that there is a threat facing America in the form of radical muslim fanatics. Without debating why or where these islamofanatics originated, they exist and they do pose a threat to America. While many of us still believe in the citizen soldier concept and want to have a hand in our own defense without necessarily joining the military, our federal government is telling us to go about our lives and leave the nation's security to them.

I say no, that I want to have a part in the security of this nation, and I would be more than happy to help if the government would give the People some ideas or suggestions as to what we could do. If they don't have evidence necessary to even satisfy a FISA court, enlist the People to obtain that evidence. We will give the authorities what they need, so long as we believe that they are truly working for us and not themselves.

Here is another example of hyperbole from those who can't think through Bush's methodical centralization of power:

A delay of even a few days may render the information useless, as the terrorists will have realized that their colleague has been neutralized.

I thought that 11 Judges sit at the ready to hear evidence and grant warrants on a 24/7/365 basis?