Friday, May 12, 2006

Bush lies -- again

In yesterday's USA Today (with my bold emphasis):
The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement told USA TODAY.

....The agency's [NSA] goal is "to create a database of every call ever made" within the nation's borders, this person added. For the customers of these companies, it means that the government has detailed records of calls they made — across town or across the country — to family members, co-workers, business contacts and others.

....The NSA's domestic program, as described by sources, is far more expansive than what the White House has acknowledged....In defending the previously disclosed program, Bush insisted that the NSA was focused exclusively on international calls. "In other words," Bush explained, "one end of the communication must be outside the United States." As a result, domestic call records — those of calls that originate and terminate within U.S. borders — were believed to be private. Sources, however, say that is not the case.
Yes, surprise, Bush is caught in another lie (make that 8,904 at this point). But guess who else is neck-deep in the fibbing goo? From the NY Times (12/21/05):
"The authorization given to N.S.A. by the president requires that one end of these communications has to be outside the United States," General Hayden answered. "I can assure you, by the physics of the intercept, by how we actually conduct our activities, that one end of these communications are always outside the United States."
Thanks for that (wrong) reassurance, General. If he's willing to lie about this key issue, what else will he lie about if in charge of the CIA? 2008 can't come fast enough.

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