![\"AFP](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/AFP-Bush-memos-300x203.jpg\")
<\/a><\/center><\/p>\nThe AFP reports that the ACLU got a FOIA on White House documents related to the legal opinions of the Bush Administration staff in regards to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). For some reason, the author(s) of that piece thinks that the Bush Administration thought they could spy on all of us all of the time, but, according to their own reportage, that’s not what the document said;<\/p>\n
It allowed the National Security Agency to obtain communications data within the United States when at least one party was a suspected Al-Qaeda or Al-Qaeda affiliate member, and at least one party in the communication was located overseas.<\/strong><\/p>\n
“Even in peacetime, absent congressional action, the president has inherent constitutional authority … to order warrantless foreign intelligence surveillance,” then-assistant attorney general Jack Goldsmith said in a heavily redacted 108-page memo dated May 6, 2004.<\/p>\n
“We believe that Stellar Wind comes squarely within the commander in chief’s authority to conduct the campaign against Al-Qaeda as part of the current armed conflict and that congressional efforts to prohibit the president’s efforts to intercept enemy communications through Stellar Wind would be an unconstitutional encroachment on the commander in chief’s power.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The emphasis is mine. So that headline is just a big lie. And, really what does it matter? The Bush Administration is gone and he didn’t spy on all of us all of the time. Their bigger concern should be what the current occupant of the White House is doing these days, since President Bush doesn’t have any control over the NSA anymore.<\/p>\n
I guess it’s just sexier to deflect attention from what’s happening in the world and dig up a long-dead administration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"