We Hear What You’re Saying

The White House prepares for a showdown with Democrats over secret surveillance.

By Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Jan 23, 2008 | Updated: 6:11  p.m. ET Jan 23, 2008

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  • Posted By: sjbrock80 @ 01/24/2008 3:01:42 PM

    Did you just wake up from a long nap, Sean1030? Where does your talk about "smokescreen" and "alarmism" come from?

    The bombing of the World Trade Center was the start of the "war on terror". Don't forget it.

    When we began to have terrorists attack us, our liberties were bound to start going away. If we just live like nothing ever happened, we will be a VERY easy target in the future. The truth is we have no idea how many terrorist plots have been foiled due to our nation's newfound nosiness.

    • Posted By: Sean1030 @ 05/04/2008 1:10:04 PM

      Perhpas you are willing to give up your freedoms and liberties and privacy all for a fale sense of security. I"d rather die free than to live under oppression

    • Posted By: Sean1030 @ 04/07/2008 4:42:54 PM

      Your post is EXACTLY what I mean. U are so braiwashed into believing this whole terrorism theory. If we ARE at risk for terrorism, Mr. Bush made it that way.

  • Posted By: patattn2me @ 02/28/2008 3:08:39 PM

    Dear whala; I read your comments of 2:08:48 and with all due respect I would like the name of your dealer. WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN SMOKING !!!!!

  • Posted By: whala @ 02/28/2008 2:08:48 PM

    GEORGE W BUSH IS ONE OF OUR FINEST PRESIDENTS.
    Has he made mistakes? Definitely. What president hasn't?
    Did he lie to us? Many accuse him of such treason, but have no grounds for such accusations. It's interesting that we are even considering two such bashers for our next president.
    Has he allowed the media to run him into the ground? Absolutely. He seems completely undeterred by his personal image.
    Does he have the courage to do what he believes to be right in spite of the uninformed popular opinion? Most definitely.
    Did he turn our economy around in record time from the recession after 9/11. Yes he did.
    Following that recovery, did we have several years of plenty. You can't dispute that(unless your living in a bubble.)
    What other president managed to oversee such a robust economic turnaround during a time of war? There have been none other.
    Did he cause the economic slump we are currently experiencing? Absolutely not. American greed run out of control is the cause.
    This man has been given the short end of the stick by the liberals, and the media has driven Americans to believe it. It's high time George W. Bush be given the credit he deserves.

  • Posted By: eddiewhere @ 01/30/2008 3:50:26 AM

    We have been fooled by our own government and there is no way any Republican is going to win this election. THE Middle class has had it with all this Bin LADEN terrorist crap. WE are now scared of our own government more than we are of the terrorist because the decisions this government is making on our behalf is not in our best interests and it is killing us. The government is now dominating our civil liberties. They are giving the states millions for Real ID Cards. This is just the start of government intrusion. Combine this with the misuse of the Patriot Act and the future Plans of insurance comPanies and corporations to have full access to our personal records and we have a real crisis.
    Credit Card companies have already started selling and sharing our personal information with the private sector. We really have to wake up and protect our constitution it is all we have to defend ourselves against interests that become too rich and powerful in this country. The government keeps expanding and is being predominantly controlled by special interest and lobbyist. The middle class is being weakened and our civil liberties are being threatened. Real ID Cards will not make "us safer" infacat terrorists can obtain fake ones and move about freely. The American people did not vote on Real ID Cards, we need a vote. Our constitution would have to be ammended in order for Real ID's to become legal. I do not know what has happened in Washington but it is getting out of hand. They know what they are doing is unconstitutional so they are trying to bribe the states by offering them money. I hope every state agrees with me and Prevents the federal govenment from imPosing and unconstitutional law. If the states allow the government to do this then they would have set a bad Precedent that could lead to further government violations.

    : "Our country is too large to have all its affairs directed by a single government. Public servants at such a distance, and from under the eye of their constituents, must, from the circumstance of distance, be unable to administer and overlook all the details necessary for the good government of the citizens; and the same circumstance, by rendering detection impossible to their constituents, will invite public agents to corruption, plunder and waste." --Thomas Jefferson to Gideon Granger, 1800. ME 10:167
    "I consider the foundation of the Constitution as laid on this ground: That "all powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States or to the people." [X Amendment] To take a single step beyond the boundaries thus specifically drawn around the powers of Congress, is to take possession of a boundless field of power, no longer susceptible of any definition." --Thomas Jefferson: National Bank Opinion, 1791. ME 3:146

  • Posted By: zixu @ 01/26/2008 9:32:05 PM

    Another attempt by the lets trash the rule of law boys. Neither the average citizen nor large corporations are above the rule of law. The argument that a large corporation acted in good faith is silly. They are a regulated industry and broke the law as they caved into governmental pressure. They should face the penalty for this. All measures which affect constitutional rights like this nonsense should have an expiration date. The Democrats need to realize they are the opposition party.

  • Posted By: zixu @ 01/26/2008 9:28:44 PM

    Pure scare tatics and fear mongering. The assault on personal liberties and privacy continues. The Democrats are going to have to accept the role of an opposition party. This does nothing effective to prevent anything. It is intended long term for the surveillance of American citizens.

  • Posted By: jungle_man @ 01/24/2008 6:02:40 PM

    The fact is, A tnt and verizon have and had corporate lawyers that work for them 24 hours a day. They could have said not to the prez' illegal demands and not have this problem today, but they didn't. So they have a huge problem to deal with.

    If you agree with the president and the republicrats, please leave the country immediately, so us true patriots can fix this country with the least amount of static from all of you idiotic morons. You must be retarded sjbrock80!

    • Posted By: sjbrock80 @ 01/25/2008 11:08:26 AM

      Ok, prissy boy, let's just sit back and do nothing about terrorism. That'll work. Good idea. You're a real patriot.

      Bleeding heart liberals just get more of our own people killed. I suppose you were in awe of Clinton's response to the attack on the USS Cole. He said, "That's terrible, I wonder who did it? Oh well, who cares"

  • Posted By: jungle_man @ 01/24/2008 6:04:57 PM

    Oh yeah. It wasn't a bomb, they were planes. Get a brain, man!

    • Posted By: sjbrock80 @ 01/25/2008 11:06:10 AM

      Nope it was a bomb, dumbo. The planes came years later.

  • Posted By: seriouslycurious @ 01/25/2008 12:05:28 AM

    The Bush/Cheney fear mongering policies have to go. I will not give up my rights as a citizen because I am afraid, no matter how they try to scare me. They are the scary ones. How much longer do they have in office? Can't be too soon for me to see their bottoms on the way out.

  • Posted By: Sean1030 @ 01/24/2008 1:06:10 PM

    Tihs is so interesting. Where are the brains in the heads of americans? George Bush and his regime are EXACTLY why "Animal Farm" and "1984" by George Orwell should be REQUIRED reading for ANYONE who wants to register to vote. our civil rights are almost non-existent now. I have to give Bush credit though. He created this "war on terror" as a smokescreen so that the public would not realize that he has no domestic policy. Then he started a wave of alarmism, knowing that the American public is too dumb to think for itself , and too busy watching American Idol and sports to care about what's happening to their civil rights.

  • Posted By: Sean1030 @ 01/24/2008 1:06:08 PM

    Tihs is so interesting. Where are the brains in the heads of americans? George Bush and his regime are EXACTLY why "Animal Farm" and "1984" by George Orwell should be REQUIRED reading for ANYONE who wants to register to vote. our civil rights are almost non-existent now. I have to give Bush credit though. He created this "war on terror" as a smokescreen so that the public would not realize that he has no domestic policy. Then he started a wave of alarmism, knowing that the American public is too dumb to think for itself , and too busy watching American Idol and sports to care about what's happening to their civil rights.

  • Posted By: Sean1030 @ 01/24/2008 1:00:11 PM

    Tihs is so interesting. Where are the brains in the heads of americans? George Bush and his regime are EXACTLY why "Animal Farm" and "1984" by George Orwell should be REQUIRED reading for ANYONE who wants to register to vote. our civil rights are almost non-existent now. I have to give Bush credit though. He created this "war on terror" as a smokescreen so that the public would not realize that he has no domestic policy. Then he started a wave of alarmism, knowing that the American public is too dumb to think for itself , and too busy watching American Idol and sports to care about what's happening to their civil rights.

  • Posted By: Sean1030 @ 01/24/2008 1:00:06 PM

    Tihs is so interesting. Where are the brains in the heads of americans? George Bush and his regime are EXACTLY why "Animal Farm" and "1984" by George Orwell should be REQUIRED reading for ANYONE who wants to register to vote. our civil rights are almost non-existent now. I have to give Bush credit though. He created this "war on terror" as a smokescreen so that the public would not realize that he has no domestic policy. Then he started a wave of alarmism, knowing that the American public is too dumb to think for itself , and too busy watching American Idol and sports to care about what's happening to their civil rights.

  • Posted By: Sean1030 @ 01/24/2008 1:00:05 PM

    Tihs is so interesting. Where are the brains in the heads of americans? George Bush and his regime are EXACTLY why "Animal Farm" and "1984" by George Orwell should be REQUIRED reading for ANYONE who wants to register to vote. our civil rights are almost non-existent now. I have to give Bush credit though. He created this "war on terror" as a smokescreen so that the public would not realize that he has no domestic policy. Then he started a wave of alarmism, knowing that the American public is too dumb to think for itself , and too busy watching American Idol and sports to care about what's happening to their civil rights.

  • Posted By: Sean1030 @ 01/24/2008 1:00:05 PM

    Tihs is so interesting. Where are the brains in the heads of americans? George Bush and his regime are EXACTLY why "Animal Farm" and "1984" by George Orwell should be REQUIRED reading for ANYONE who wants to register to vote. our civil rights are almost non-existent now. I have to give Bush credit though. He created this "war on terror" as a smokescreen so that the public would not realize that he has no domestic policy. Then he started a wave of alarmism, knowing that the American public is too dumb to think for itself , and too busy watching American Idol and sports to care about what's happening to their civil rights.

  • Posted By: Sean1030 @ 01/24/2008 1:00:05 PM

    Tihs is so interesting. Where are the brains in the heads of americans? George Bush and his regime are EXACTLY why "Animal Farm" and "1984" by George Orwell should be REQUIRED reading for ANYONE who wants to register to vote. our civil rights are almost non-existent now. I have to give Bush credit though. He created this "war on terror" as a smokescreen so that the public would not realize that he has no domestic policy. Then he started a wave of alarmism, knowing that the American public is too dumb to think for itself , and too busy watching American Idol and sports to care about what's happening to their civil rights.

  • Posted By: Sean1030 @ 01/24/2008 1:00:02 PM

    Tihs is so interesting. Where are the brains in the heads of americans? George Bush and his regime are EXACTLY why "Animal Farm" and "1984" by George Orwell should be REQUIRED reading for ANYONE who wants to register to vote. our civil rights are almost non-existent now. I have to give Bush credit though. He created this "war on terror" as a smokescreen so that the public would not realize that he has no domestic policy. Then he started a wave of alarmism, knowing that the American public is too dumb to think for itself , and too busy watching American Idol and sports to care about what's happening to their civil rights.

  • Posted By: Sean1030 @ 01/24/2008 1:00:00 PM

    Tihs is so interesting. Where are the brains in the heads of americans? George Bush and his regime are EXACTLY why "Animal Farm" and "1984" by George Orwell should be REQUIRED reading for ANYONE who wants to register to vote. our civil rights are almost non-existent now. I have to give Bush credit though. He created this "war on terror" as a smokescreen so that the public would not realize that he has no domestic policy. Then he started a wave of alarmism, knowing that the American public is too dumb to think for itself , and too busy watching American Idol and sports to care about what's happening to their civil rights.

  • Posted By: Sean1030 @ 01/24/2008 12:59:56 PM

    Tihs is so interesting. Where are the brains in the heads of americans? George Bush and his regime are EXACTLY why "Animal Farm" and "1984" by George Orwell should be REQUIRED reading for ANYONE who wants to register to vote. our civil rights are almost non-existent now. I have to give Bush credit though. He created this "war on terror" as a smokescreen so that the public would not realize that he has no domestic policy. Then he started a wave of alarmism, knowing that the American public is too dumb to think for itself , and too busy watching American Idol and sports to care about what's happening to their civil rights.

  • Posted By: Sean1030 @ 01/24/2008 12:59:51 PM

    Tihs is so interesting. Where are the brains in the heads of americans? George Bush and his regime are EXACTLY why "Animal Farm" and "1984" by George Orwell should be REQUIRED reading for ANYONE who wants to register to vote. our civil rights are almost non-existent now. I have to give Bush credit though. He created this "war on terror" as a smokescreen so that the public would not realize that he has no domestic policy. Then he started a wave of alarmism, knowing that the American public is too dumb to think for itself , and too busy watching American Idol and sports to care about what's happening to their civil rights.

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