ABC News: Spy Debate Brings Opportunity to Congress

ABC News: Spy Debate Brings Opportunity to Congress

"WASHINGTON Feb 17, 2006 (AP)— It could be campaign-year jitters. President Bush's controversial eavesdropping program has irritated congressional Democrats and even some Republicans. To some, the shift is pure politics as lawmakers worry about the November elections or look ahead to 2008. They are emboldened by fundamental legal questions about the National Security Agency's monitoring and Bush's weak public support on terrorism, once his bread-and-butter issue.

To others, it's Congress reasserting itself as an equal branch of government. "This is an institutional confrontation between Congress and the White House," said Tom Newcomb. He spent 25 years in national security in a trifecta across all three branches, including working for CIA Director Porter Goss when he chaired the House Intelligence Committee.

Not a single lawmaker briefed on the NSA program has said the monitoring should end. But many Democrats and a growing number of Republicans are questioning the legal underpinnings of Bush's directive authorizing the eavesdropping without court approval. Bush has said he has the inherent authority as president and, he says, Congress bolstered that power with a September 2001 resolution approving the use of military force to go after those responsible for the 9/11 attacks."

The real opportunity is to completely revamp the way congress and the administration do business. But unless we the people speak out loud and clear, this will be a missed opportunity that will adversely impact our nation for the next 100 years or more.