Well, Congress has spoken...

From the Washington Post:
"A report by Congress's research arm concluded yesterday that the administration's justification for the warrantless eavesdropping authorized by President Bush conflicts with existing law and hinges on weak legal arguments.

The Congressional Research Service's report rebuts the central assertions made recently by Bush and Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales about the president's authority to order secret intercepts of telephone and e-mail exchanges between people inside the United States and their contacts abroad."

This is a NON-PARTISAN committee.

Of course, the Bush Administration disagrees:

"Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said the president and the administration believe the program is on firm legal footing."

Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, states that this discussion, similar to the one we are having in this forum, is asking questions which are central to the American government. That is, what authorities does the president have and is he complying with the law.

Here's the link (you may have to join):
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/06/AR2006010601772.html?referrer=email&referrer=email

Peace,