Reuters

12/19/05

The U.S. Congress' authorization of military force after the September 11, 2001, attacks also gave President George W. Bush the right to eavesdrop on people in the United States, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said on Monday. 'Our position is that authorization to use force, which was passed by the Congress in the days following September 11, constitutes that other authorization ... to engage in this kind of signals intelligence,' Gonzales said. But he conceded: 'One might argue, now wait a minute, there's nothing in the authorization to use force that specifically mentions electronic surveillance.' He denied it was 'a backdoor approach,' saying: 'We believe Congress has authorized this kind of surveillance'... [editor's note: The arrogance of these people is astounding - MLS] [additional editor's note: Doesn't Gonzales know that that "congressional authorization of force" is quaint and obsolete? - TLK]

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Informant: Thomas L. Knapp