The Case for Spying

Crooks and Liars has tape of the Attorney General on the Today show further explaining his legal justification for the NSA surveillance revealed by the New York Times. The administration is apparently going to bank on the joint resolution passed three days after 9/11: Section 2. Authorization for Use of United States Armed Forces (a) That the president is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons. They're likely to lean on 'necessary', and ignore 'appropriate' here. Who determines what appropriate means? Take the word out and Gonzales might have a case; left in their position is weak. Question the administration should have to answer: When did breaking the law become 'appropriate' in the United States?