Feingold to Obama: End Warrantless Wiretapping

By Jeralyn, Section War on Terror
Posted on Mon Jun 15, 2009 at 01:40:45 PM EST
Tags: NSA warrantless surveillance (all tags)

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Sen. Russ Feingold has written this letter (pdf)to President Obama, calling upon him to renounce the warrantless wiretapping. It begins:

I am writing to reiterate my request for you to formally and promptly renounce the assertions of executive authority made by the Bush Administration with regard to warrantless wiretapping. As a United States Senator, you stated clearly and correctly that the warrantless wiretapping program was illegal. Your Attorney General expressed the same view, both as a private citizen and at his confirmation hearing. It is my hope that you will formally confirm this position as president... [More...]

Why this matters now:

On June 8, Director of National Intelligence Blair asserted in a speech and in response to a question from a reporter that the warrantless wiretapping program "wasn't illegal."

Blair later clarified his answer, but Feingold maintains, "his "clarification highlights the need to formally renounce the legal justification that the "White Paper" provides.

And, Feingold writes, Obama's nominee for General Counsel for the Director of National Intelligence, refused to answer Feingold's question about the legality of the program under Bush, stating it was classified.

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Feingold to Obama: End Warrantless Wiretapping | 6 comments (6 topical)

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Go Senator Feingold (5.00 / 2) (#1)
by glennmcgahee on Mon Jun 15, 2009 at 02:33:16 PM EST

How nice it must be to have a Senator that actually interprets the law as written and is willing to challenge THE GOD.

I wish I thought that Feingold (5.00 / 3) (#3)
by Anne on Mon Jun 15, 2009 at 03:23:35 PM EST

and his letter could make a difference, or that whatever Obama says about this - assuming he says something - will mean a true reversal of the Bush policies, but I don't.

Which is not to say that we shouldn't keep trying to push Obama on these important issues, and kudos to Feingold for applying some pressure.

I'm just coming to expect that Obama will say whatever he thinks he has to to make the issue go away, but a month or three months later, news will break that we are still doing whatever it was Obama said he found abhorrent, or unacceptable.

Would love to have him prove me wrong.

Not to mention the 4th Amendment.....nt (none / 0) (#2)
by Jeff in CA on Mon Jun 15, 2009 at 03:00:12 PM EST

There Are Few Better Supporters (none / 0) (#4)
by john horse on Mon Jun 15, 2009 at 05:44:46 PM EST

of civil liberties than Senator Russ Feingold.
This is a fight that I believe we are going to win. The further removed we are from 9/11 the less fearful the American people will be and the more likely they will see warrantless wiretaps for the unnecessary erosion of our civil liberties that they are.

When it comes to taking away our civil liberties, Bush and Cheney were true believers. Obama is nothing but a pretender (thank goodness).

: A "pretender"? I hope you're right, ... (5.00 / 1) (#5)
by Yman on Mon Jun 15, 2009 at 08:02:49 PM EST

... 'cause so far, he better at faking it than my ex.

Feingold pissing in the wind (none / 0) (#6)
by pluege on Mon Jun 15, 2009 at 10:37:58 PM EST

Obama has no intention of doing any less than bush/cheney and appears poised to do worse in the area of civil rights and individual privacy.