Lying With A Genteel Drawl

The worst president in recent US history, speaking last week:

"Under the Bush administration, there's been a disgraceful and illegal decision -- we're not going to the let the judges or the Congress or anyone else know that we're spying on the American people. And no one knows how many innocent Americans have had their privacy violated under this secret act."

The worst president in recent US history, acting in 1977:

... in 1977, Mr. Carter and his attorney general, Griffin B. Bell, authorized warrantless electronic surveillance used in the conviction of two men for spying on behalf of Vietnam.

The men, Truong Dinh Hung and Ronald Louis Humphrey, challenged their espionage convictions to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, which unanimously ruled that the warrantless searches did not violate the men's rights.

In its opinion, the court said the executive branch has the "inherent authority" to wiretap enemies such as terror plotters and is excused from obtaining warrants when surveillance is "conducted 'primarily' for foreign intelligence reasons."

The WashTimes article with these quotes makes it clear this activity occurred before the implementation of FISA, but it also quotes former atty gen Bell, testifying before Congress when FISA was being considered:

When Mr. Bell testified in favor of FISA, he told Congress that while the measure doesn't explicitly acknowledge the "inherent power of the president to conduct electronic surveillance," it "does not take away the power of the president under the Constitution."

Has it ever been more evident that the Dems are grandstanding and blowing smoke on a human rights (for terrorists) issues, instead of focusing on the safety of the homeland?

h/t memeorandum