Quotes of the Morning: Badges? We Don't Need No Stinking Badges

“Hey, did you hear about how the President has been overriding the laws that he is supposed to be upholding and allowing wiretaps and domestic spying without judicial review?”
-Skippy

“I know that people are anxious to know the details of operations, they– people want me to comment about the veracity of the story. It’s the policy of this government, just not going do it, and the reason why is that because it would compromise our ability to protect the people.”
-George ‘Dubya’ Bush, December 16, 2005

“This relates to intelligence activities and ongoing intelligence operations that are aimed at saving lives. And there’s a reason why we don’t get into discussing ongoing intelligence activities, because it could compromise our efforts to prevent attacks from happening.”
-Press Secretary Scott McClellan, December 16, 2005-12-19

“Well, I’m, again, not going to comment on intelligence activities because intelligence activities, by their very nature, are activities that are sensitive and that should not be compromised.”
-Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice

“Wow.. If it’s that important, I guess we’ll never hear about it. National security and all..”
-Skippy

“In acknowledging the message was true, President Bush took aim at the messenger Saturday, saying that The New York Times jeopardized national security by revealing that he authorized wiretaps on U.S. citizens after September 11. The president said he allowed the NSA ‘to intercept the international communications of people with known links to al Qaeda.’ Publishing details of the program ‘damages our national security and puts our citizens at risk,’ Bush said.”
-CNN, December 17, 2005

“Yes, pointing out when our government lies and breaks our laws can damage our national security. Not only that, but the domestic spying was needed for save us from terrorists. Nothing to see here. Please move on.”
-Skippy

“The NSA eavesdrops on billions of communications worldwide. Although the NSA is barred from domestic spying, it can get warrants issued with the permission of a special court called the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Court.
The court is set up specifically to issue warrants allowing wiretapping on domestic soil.”
-CNN, December 17, 2005

“But, but, but…. If they could already get a FISA warrant, Dubya didn’t need to override the laws. He COULD have worked within the law, had he chosen to.”
-Skippy

“Sources with knowledge of the program told CNN on Friday that Bush signed the secret order in 2002. The sources refused to be identified because the program is classified.
Bush, however, said he authorized the program on several occasions since the September 11 attacks and that he plans on doing it again.
‘I have re-authorized this program more than 30 times,’ he said. ‘I intend to do so for as long as our nation faces a continuing threat from al Qaeda and related groups.’"
-CNN, December 17, 2005

“But there was already a system in place to handle the problem (FISA). Man, I am just glad that we can trust this administration not to abuse their powers, because otherwise I would be scared sh*tless about now. Luckily we know who the real threats are..”
-Skippy

“A year ago, at a Quaker Meeting House in Lake Worth, Fla., a small group of activists met to plan a protest of military recruiting at local high schools. What they didn't know was that their meeting had come to the attention of the U.S. military.
A secret 400-page Defense Department document obtained by NBC News lists the Lake Worth meeting as a ‘threat’ and one of more than 1,500 “suspicious incidents” across the country over a recent 10-month period.”
-NBC, December 14, 2005

“You know.. I’m beginning to think that the Dub-ster has been honest a grand total of once, and that was when he said this..”
-Skippy

“If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier... just so long as I'm the dictator.”
-George ‘Dubya’ Bush, December 18, 2000