From ThinkProgress:

Congress Daily reports that former NSA staffer Russell Tice will testify to the Senate Armed Services Committee next week that not only do employees at the agency believe the activities they are being asked to perform are unlawful, but that what has been disclosed so far is only the tip of the iceberg. Tice will tell Congress that former NSA head Gen. Michael Hayden, Bush's nominee to be the next CIA director, oversaw more illegal activity that has yet to be disclosed.

Hat Tip Pensito

Meanwhile, Republican Icon, Newt Gingrich speaks up:

I'm not going to defend the indefensible. The Bush administration has an obligation to level with the American people. And I'm prepared to defend a very aggressive anti-terrorist campaign, and I'm prepared to defend the idea that the government ought to know who's making the calls, as long as that information is only used against terrorists, and as long as the Congress knows that it's underway.

But I don't think the way they've handled this can be defended by reasonable people. It is sloppy. It is contradictory, and frankly for normal Americans, it makes no sense to listen to these three totally different explanations.

And another poll, seems to indicate that the Conservative GLEE over a poll released earlier this week that said that Americans were not concerned about the latest NSA Spying scandal, was a bit.... premature...

May 13, 2006 - Has the Bush administration gone too far in expanding the powers of the President to fight terrorism? Yes, say a majority of Americans, following this week's revelation that the National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone records of U.S. citizens since the September 11 terrorist attacks. According to the latest NEWSWEEK poll, 53 percent of Americans think the NSA's surveillance program "goes too far in invading people's privacy," while 41 percent see it as a necessary tool to combat terrorism.

I am not ready to claim victory just yet... I think the American people have been so confussed by what is going on, that there is no clear plurality on what Americans are willing to give up, to "feel" safe. Because the reality is that we are NOT safe. Our borders and ports are open doors, our Nuclear Power facilities remain underprotected, and there are thousands upon thousands of "soft targets," in the United States. As Gingrich implies, this administration has been much more focussed on disjointed power plays than on formulating REAL policy to protect the country.

I am not a big fan of polls, especially ones related to Bush. Okay, we got it, the man is a Lame Duck President who will likely go down in history as a monumental failure. The only pleasure I take from that is knowing that right now there are a LOT of Conservatives who albiet late... have come to the same conclussion, perhaps for differen't reasons... And there are others... who no matter what Bush or his administration does, will insist on going down with the ship. There was a time when I could respect their support for Bush, and their skepticism over Lefty claims of malfeasance. The Downing Street Memo and other accussations against the administration, just wern't believable to the faithful. Just as most of us did not want to believe Clinton played doctor in the Oval Office.... Understandable. Most of us came to accept that Clinton had done what he did, once the evidence came out. Despite reams of evidence against this administration, and scandal after scandal, the True Believers refuse to acknowledge that their President could have done something wrong.

It is fascinating to watch...

I remember Bush once saying he would be a uniter for the country... Perhaps his first lie... Chosing Karl Rove to run his campaign meant there was no possibility for that. Now Rove appears headed for a day in court... The country is more divided than it has been in more than a century. Our international reputation is in shambles. We appear to much of the world, to be more of a rogue state, than those we challenge. Our flag is burned and people jeer the United States even in places that once were our strong allies. Our military, once seen as liberators, are now seen as sadistic torturers by much of the world. Our constitution is being sqweezed and challenged by those sworn to uphold it. And reasonable conservatives are starting to abandon ship, or at least question their fielty to a failed administration.

All I can say is... "Told you so."

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Posted by: Cranky at May 13, 2006 06:03 PM

Posted by: David Scott Anderson at May 13, 2006 06:21 PM