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December 22, 2005
The Debate Over Domestic Spying in the U.S.
Linda Feldman, staff writer for Boston, USA based Christian Science Monitor, reported in a December 22, 2005 article that, "The revelation that President Bush secretly authorized a domestic spying program after 9/11 is fueling the already heated debate over presidential power."
"From the administration's treatment of suspected terrorists to its drive for secrecy in deliberations over energy policy, Mr. Bush's five years in office have been marked by efforts to expand the executive branch's unfettered reach, " Ms. Feldman wrote, adding: The tug of war among the three branches of government is as old as the Republic. But the convergence of three factors makes this struggle arguably unparalleled in the modern era: an administration that came to office determined to reclaim what it saw as the executive branch's diminished place; Republican control of the White House and Congress, raising questions about checks and balances; and the 9/11 attacks, which put America on the kind of war footing that historically opens the path to extraordinary action by the president.
The U.S. Congress bears some responsibility for the course Mr. Bush is taking. For example, they gave him extraordinary power to wage war and subvert some civil liberties in the USA Patriot Act, that was passed shortly after al-Qaeda's September 11, 2005 attacks in the United States. Many congressmen and senators did not even read the legislation. Senator Robert Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia, USA, warned his colleagues in a February 12, 2003 Senate floor speech that they would come to regret the day they arrogated their war-making power to the Executive Branch, with virtually no debate. The speech is titled "We Stand Passively Mute."
Now a bipartisan group of senators are trying to curb the excesses they granted Mr. Bush by agreeing to renew for only six months 14 of 16 provisions of the Patriot Act. The provisions expire December 31, 2005. The House of Representatives, which approved the measure, must agree to the compromised version. On December 21, 2005, Mr. Bush has called on the Senate to back the house version. He later thanked the Senate for agreeing to extend the act by six months.
Meanwhile, as expected, Mr. Bush is vociferously defending his domestic spying, something the U.S. often criticized in the former Soviet Union. It also criticizes such spying in China, the Middle East and so-called Third World nations. For more, please see "Tug of war over presidential powers."
Note: This article is cross posted at The Opinion Gazette.
Posted by Munir Umrani at December 22, 2005 10:29 AM
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