An uproar has ensued over a USA Today
report that has documented how three large telephone companies cooperated with the federal government to allow them(the feds) to monitor the phone calls of milllions of Americans. The reaction by politicians is quite forward...
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Sen. Patrick Leahy expressed outrage. "Are you telling me tens of millions of Americans are involved with al-Qaeda?"
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Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who has spoken favorably of his nomination, predicted the revelation is "going to present a growing impediment to the confirmation of Gen. Hayden."
Shock is also coming out through academic circles.
Harold Koh, dean of the Yale Law School and author of The National Security Constitution, called the scope of the database "shocking."
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"If they had gone to Congress and said, 'We want to do this without probable cause, without warrants and without judicial review,' it never would have been approved," said Koh, a former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun. "I don't think any FISA court would have approved this kind of scale of activity."
Questions for debate:1.)Is the concept of probable cause violated when blanket, random listening in sessions are held?
2.)Should President Bush be impeached? Why or why not?
3.)If millions of Americans phone calls are listened in on, how are their rights "vigorously defended" as the president states?
4.)Does the president's right to wage war trump constitutional requirements of probable cause, judicial review, and failing to take out warrants?