Selective Memories

Aparently the world must have begun in 2001, for the way the NYT and others are so breathlessly condemning Bush. Apparently they forget:

[T]he NSA had been monitoring private domestic telephone conversations on a much larger scale throughout the 1990s - all of it done without a court order, let alone a catalyst like the 9/11 attacks.

In February 2000, for instance, CBS "60 Minutes" correspondent Steve Kroft introduced a report on the Clinton-era spy program by noting:

"If you made a phone call today or sent an e-mail to a friend, there's a good chance what you said or wrote was captured and screened by the country's largest intelligence agency. The top-secret Global Surveillance Network is called Echelon, and it's run by the National Security Agency."

NSA computers, said Kroft, "capture virtually every electronic conversation around the world."

This is the real kicker:

One Echelon operator working in Britain told "60 Minutes" that the NSA had even monitored and tape recorded the conversations of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond.

Can you imagine what would have happened if Bush had been monitoring Harry Reid? The media would be rioting for his head, and the Democrats would be tearing down the White House.

108 Democrats vote for Defeat

This is one of the more remarkable things I've seen.

Patriot Act Filibuster

Washington Times has an excellent editorial today:

"God forbid that there be a terrorist attack that could have been prevented by the Patriot Act after it has expired," Sen. Jon Kyl said yesterday after the Senate failed to overcome a filibuster of legislation that would have reauthorized the Patriot Act. "If that happens, those who have supported the filibuster will have to answer for it, and the American people will have a very hard time understanding what their objections were."

Got that, Sens. Larry Craig, Chuck Hagel, Lisa Murkowski and John Sununu? As the four Republicans who voted to continue the filibuster, they now bear the unenviable task of defending their vote. Conveniently, none of them is up for re-election in 2006. Democrats predictably voted en masse in favor of the filibuster, with the exception of Sens. Tim Johnson and Ben Nelson, who we applaud for bucking their party's unfounded Patriot Act paranoia. So, unless Majority Leader Bill Frist -- who had to vote for the filibuster as a matter of Senate procedure -- can pull a Christmas miracle, valuable provisions in the Patriot Act will expire Dec. 31.

Along with the Feckless Four, we also have to throw in the New York Times, which ran a front-page article yesterday -- conveniently in time for the filibuster vote -- blaring the headline, "Bush Lets U.S. Spy on Callers Without Court Orders." Sen. Charles Schumer explained that the article "greatly" influenced his vote in favor of the filibuster. "[T]oday's revelation that the government listened in on thousands of phone conversations without getting a warrant is shocking," he said.

What that headline doesn't say -- and what Mr. Schumer obviously didn't read or care to mention -- is that the National Security Agency's program, started after September 11, monitors international communications only. And why? Paragraph 17 explains: "The program accelerated in early 2002 after the CIA started capturing top al Qaeda operatives overseas ... The CIA seized the terrorists' computers, cellphones and personal phone directories ... The NSA surveillance was intended to exploit those numbers and addresses as quickly as possible."

The program helped uncover al Qaeda operative Iyman Faris, an Osama bin Laden associate who in 2002 was ordered to research the possibility of destroying New York City bridges. He was caught and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Remember that when Messrs. Craig, Hagel, Sununu and Mrs. Murkowski righteously claim they're only protecting Americans.

How ironic is that? The Republican from Nebraska votes for the filibuster, and the Democrat against it. I only wish the Republican were in my district so I could vote against him.

Readings

Here are some good recent (and not so recent) stories:

Iraqi Beacon: Message to the Arab world: Democracy Works

Dems Determined to Ignore Progress in Iraq

The Panic Over Iraq

Stop to Think

Just in case there was any doubt...

UPDATE:
A couple more:

McCain-Bush Anti-Torture Deal Allows Use of C-SPAN

Hate Torture? Consider Boot Camp

UPDATE 12/17:

Patriot Act Folly

A Note on Comments

A while ago I turned off comments, for a couple of reasons. Mainly, I had intended for this blog to be almost private--I have never advertised it anywhere, and I was not interested in comments or discussion. Which is not to say that I really am now--if I want to get into a discussion, I'll go to a disscusion forum--but I am turning comments back on anyway, since apparently there are more than a few people who come here (to read what I don't know). I doubt I will even read them, much less respond (again, I discuss in forums) but feel free to post a comment.