Why did Bush flip-flop about his spying on Americans? Don't want a Dem prez with these powers maybe?

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/215559,CST-NWS-dom18.article

Bush does about-face, lets court OK domestic spying

January 18, 2007

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration changed course and agreed Wednesday to let a secret but independent panel of federal judges oversee the government's controversial domestic spying program.

Officials say the secret court has already approved one request for monitoring.

The shift will likely end a court fight over whether the warrantless surveillance program was legal.

The program, which was secretly authorized by President Bush shortly after Sept. 11, was disclosed a little over a year ago, resulting in widespread criticism from lawmakers and civil libertarians who questioned its legality.

[Robbien]

1. It is not a flip flop. Basically this change gives the spying a free pass

The secret court has already told Bush "go out and spy anytime you wish".

[jelly]

4. Except we can't confirm that b/c the Secret Order from the Secret Court

is so secret that the public is not even allowed to know whether the FISA order authorizes surveillance against individuals, groups of individuals, or entire "programs."

[RufusTFirefly]

6. Yet another phantom

I think Robbien is right.

Bush's "flip-flop" is a bit like his recent "apology." Both are phantoms that have been relentlessly reported as reality by the MSM. Pay close attention to what Torture Boy told the Senate about it. He described the Administration's proposal to the FISA judge as "creative." What probably happened is that Gonzales and Co. finally succeeded in obtaining a "one-size-fits-all" subpoena that enables them to conduct widespread wiretaps on the basis of a single approval instead of having to return to the FISA Court for each individual case. Note also that the judge is quite willing to release the text of her decision to the public but that Gonzo isn't keen on that. Why not? Perhaps because it would reveal what I (and many others) have just surmised.

UPON EDIT: What Buzz Clik said

[sakabatou]

2. Who's betting that most if not all of the docs will be blacked out?

[Parche]

3. spy vs spy

I thought it was because the Dems now have subpenis power in Congress and they could bring
him down.

[Buzz Clik]

5. The admin wants us to believe this lie along with all their other lies.

But Representative Heather A. Wilson, Republican of New Mexico, who serves on the Intelligence committee, disputed that, and some Congressional aides said staff members were briefed Friday without lawmakers present.

Ms. Wilson, who has scrutinized the program for the last year, said she believed the new approach relied on a blanket, “programmatic” approval of the president’s surveillance program, rather than approval of individual warrants.

Administration officials “have convinced a single judge in a secret session, in a nonadversarial session, to issue a court order to cover the president’s terrorism surveillance program,” Ms. Wilson said in a telephone interview. She said Congress needed to investigate further to determine how the program is run.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/18/washington/18intel.html?_r=2&pagewanted=2&th&emc=th&oref=slogin">NY Times