| George Bush accused of violating the US Constitution Lawsuits have been filed in the courts of two American cities demanding the immediate abolition of the federal program for electronic wiretapping of telephone conversations of US citizens. The plaintiffs were the American Civil Liberties Union in New York and the Center for Constitutional Rights in Detroit. They called the program itself and the executive actions related to it “illegal and unconstitutional.” In addition to President George W. Bush, the defendants include the director of the National Security Agency (the main agency that listens to other people's conversations around the world), as well as the heads of the CIA, FBI and several other intelligence agencies.
In 1978, after a series of scandals involving the FBI's gross intrusion into the private lives of thousands of Americans, Congress passed a law prohibiting electronic surveillance of American citizens without judicial authorization. In 2001, after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, the bans were somewhat relaxed. The administration proceeds from the fact that these concessions are valid for the entire period of the “war on terrorism,” the end of which no one can predict.
But civil liberties watchdogs believe that current federal law only permitted unauthorized eavesdropping on domestic communications within the United States for the first fifteen days of the war. Instead of following the law, the lawsuits say, Bush "unilaterally and secretly authorized electronic surveillance without judicial approval or legislative oversight."
The White House is determined to vigorously dispute the validity of both lawsuits. Justice Minister Alberto Gonzales has repeatedly said that his department carefully reviewed all the provisions of the electronic interception program and came to the conclusion that it is completely legal. In his opinion, the president has the necessary “authority” to protect the United States from repeated terrorist attacks, such is “his direct duty and responsibility.” Many American experts believe that given the complete dominance of Republicans in both houses of the US Congress and the obvious loyalty of the Supreme Court, the lawsuits filed will not cause much damage to the Bush administration and the president himself.
However, in reality everything may turn out to be much more serious. “Bush became hostage to outdated national security legislation, written and adopted during the Cold War, when the main adversary was the USSR and its allies, who abided by certain rules,” Nikolai Zlobin, an expert at the Washington Center for Defense Information, told Vremya Novostei. - The current enemy has no state borders, is not burdened by any restrictive framework and does not recognize any rules. In a fight with it, a departure from previous norms is inevitably required, which entails, willingly or unwillingly, a violation of existing legislation. And American society perceives this very, very negatively. Even the expediency of presidential actions does not give him indulgence to break the law. Considering the many mistakes made by Republicans in recent months and the decline in their popularity among voters, talk of a possible impeachment of the president is not an empty phrase. Especially if the Democrats manage to regain their majority in the Senate or House of Representatives in the November elections.”
The mood in the ranks of the Democratic Party is best evidenced by the speeches of two of its key figures: former Vice President Al Gore and New York Senator Hillary Clinton, who is seen as a possible candidate for US President in the 2008 elections. Mrs. Clinton said George W. Bush's administration would go down in American history as "one of the worst." Mr. Gore, who competed with the current occupant of the White House in 2000, spoke more harshly and frankly, denouncing Bush for his “shameless use of power.” “The President of the United States has broken the law repeatedly and systematically. A president who breaks laws poses a threat to the very structure of our government,” Al Gore said recently.
It is significant that former Congressman Robert Barr, an ardent conservative Republican and one of the most implacable opponents of Gore and Bill Clinton in the Democratic administration in the 90s, identified himself with Mr. Gore. By the way, he was a member of the House of Representatives committee on the impeachment of the 40th American president. And the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Republican Arlen Specter, did not assert that there were no violations in the actions of the executive branch related to the electronic interception program. To sort this out, the Senate scheduled special hearings for the second half of February, at which the US Secretary of Justice will be the main witness. If lawmakers find Bush's actions "inappropriately," he could face impeachment proceedings, Specter said. And then end up under criminal investigation. Nikolay SNEZHKOV, Washington |
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