New York Daily News
by Errol Lewis

12/27/05

Although he likes to talk about the God-given blessings of liberty, President Bush should be judged by his actions, not his words -- and his actions show a man who has violated the civil liberties of Americans and must be checked. The shocking revelation that Bush has personally ordered secret wiretaps for years without court approval are part of a White House policy of placing the President above the law. 'The President of the United States needs to have his constitutional powers unimpaired, if you will, in terms of the conduct of national security policy,' said Vice President Cheney last week. Bush's power grab runs counter to the Constitution's elaborate system of checks and balances, which requires most significant presidential actions to be approved by Congress or the courts -- even on crucial questions of war and peace under emergency conditions. All the more reason Congress, which is considering renewal of the USA Patriot Act, should let the law expire...

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/col/louis/story/377966p-321097c.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp