That’s the knee jerk reaction by quite a number of members of Congress to the News that George Bush has been using all the powers at his disposal to try and deter another 9/11. As the President puts it…

In the weeks following the terrorist attacks on our nation, I authorized the National Security Agency, consistent with U.S. law and the Constitution, to intercept the international communications of people with known links to al Qaeda and related terrorist organizations. Before we intercept these communications, the government must have information that establishes a clear link to these terrorist networks.
This is a highly classified program that is crucial to our national security. Its purpose is to detect and prevent terrorist attacks against the United States, our friends and allies. Yesterday the existence of this secret program was revealed in media reports, after being improperly provided to news organizations. As a result, our enemies have learned information they should not have, and the unauthorized disclosure of this effort damages our national security and puts our citizens at risk. Revealing classified information is illegal, alerts our enemies, and endangers our country.

As the 9/11 Commission pointed out, it was clear that terrorists inside the United States were communicating with terrorists abroad before the September the 11th attacks, and the commission criticized our nation’s inability to uncover links between terrorists here at home and terrorists abroad. Two of the terrorist hijackers who flew a jet into the Pentagon, Nawaf al Hamzi and Khalid al Mihdhar, communicated while they were in the United States to other members of al Qaeda who were overseas. But we didn’t know they were here, until it was too late.

The authorization I gave the National Security Agency after September the 11th helped address that problem in a way that is fully consistent with my constitutional responsibilities and authorities. The activities I have authorized make it more likely that killers like these 9/11 hijackers will be identified and located in time. And the activities conducted under this authorization have helped detect and prevent possible terrorist attacks in the United States and abroad.

The activities I authorized are reviewed approximately every 45 days. Each review is based on a fresh intelligence assessment of terrorist threats to the continuity of our government and the threat of catastrophic damage to our homeland. During each assessment, previous activities under the authorization are reviewed. The review includes approval by our nation’s top legal officials, including the Attorney General and the Counsel to the President. I have reauthorized this program more than 30 times since the September the 11th attacks, and I intend to do so for as long as our nation faces a continuing threat from al Qaeda and related groups.

The NSA’s activities under this authorization are thoroughly reviewed by the Justice Department and NSA’s top legal officials, including NSA’s general counsel and inspector general. Leaders in Congress have been briefed more than a dozen times on this authorization and the activities conducted under it. Intelligence officials involved in this activity also receive extensive training to ensure they perform their duties consistent with the letter and intent of the authorization.

This authorization is a vital tool in our war against the terrorists. It is critical to saving American lives. The American people expect me to do everything in my power under our laws and Constitution to protect them and their civil liberties. And that is exactly what I will continue to do, so long as I’m the President of the United States.

[emphasis added - ed]

But, but, he can’t do that! He’s just making this up as he goes along!

Sorry, but thanks for playing, Congress-critters. Johnny, what parting gifts do we have for these fine upstanding elected officials that have trooped out to shout their outrage from the nearest camera ringed podium before getting their facts straight?

That’s right! how about a nice copy of Executive Order 12333* which has been laying around since the President signed it!

But, but, I don’t want to see that travesty that George Bush just discovered in his hankie after blowing his nose one day!!!!

Tut tut…let’s calm down…the President that signed 12333 would be Ronald Wilson Reagan. And it seems that in over 20 years, eight of which were, if I recall in excruciating detail, under a Democrat (and a doozie of a Dem, at that), everybody seemed just fine with the entire plan. Well, ok, you can use the ‘no issue to tough to ignore if it ain’t affecting the polls’ excuse for Bill. Heck, he ignored an entire genocide on his watch, so what’s one little piece of paper? Hell, Sandy Berger stuffs lots of those in his socks just for pre-meeting entertainment!

Well, it seems that Bush had a reason, and the stones, to actually, hold onto your hats kids…ya know use some of the tools of the US Government, at his disposal, to try and protect the American people from physical harm.

Da noive of da guy.

Actually, the announcement from the White House, and the President’s address, clear a lot of the ‘murkiness’ about the whole deal up for yours truly - he’s actually keyed in and used the verbiage that’s present in the relevant, existing documents - plus included a few details the Times seemed to miss in their naked exploitation of people willing to violate their oaths not to release classified information that could potentially cause grave damage to the United States of America to persons unauthorized to receive it. And yes, in case you were wondering, the entire staff of The New York Times falls into the ‘persons not authorized to receive it’ category.

The entire issue is pretty cut and dried to this blogger right now. The activities the President authorized were concepts on the books, that have been on the books for a looong time, are valuable tools for catching terrorists, are EXTREMELY sensitive in nature (as in if the bad guys know you’re doing it, they can avoid it). And if the methods are rendered useless, or off limits, most likely by the some of the same perpetually angry blowhards that would be screaming for someone’s scalp demanding to know why the terrorists weren’t stopped before they pull off their next major stateside stunt, and they succeed, then that would pretty well qualify as ‘exceptionally grave damage’.

A crime has been committed here. And the activities authorized by the President, nor his mere authorization of them, isn’t it.

The crime was the revelation of these activities to the reporters of the New York Times. The people that leaked this information should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, for Espionage AND Treason against the United States of America during a time of War.

And they should pray to God in Heaven, if they believe in him, that there isn’t a successful attack in this country that could have been averted by the program they just outed, if foolhardy, live for the sound-bite politicos manage to get it turned off. If that were the case, I for one would say they were excellent candidates for the death penalty.

It’s time the purveyors and cheerleaders of Plamegate got a dose of reality and take a look at what a leak damaging to national security really looks like.

And it’s time that some members of Congress either kick their staffs in the ass for not keeping them up on what’s ACTUALLY going on, or if they already have an inkling, pull their heads out of the arses and stop playing solely for the cameras.

Pay attention, kids…this is LIVE, not memorex.

(* h/t to Matt from Lone Tree)

::Update:: It may also be helpful for some to read this list of Frequently Asked Questions. Might be a good idea to surf around and read some of the other things on that site, as well. Warning: If you’re a lefty, or wearing a tinfoil hat, it may induce a fit of apoplexy. Just sayin.