Americablog: Bush never even tried to get Congress to give him the authority to spy on Americans

by John in DC - 12/17/2005 09:55:00 AM

In three years he NEVER EVEN TRIED to get Congress to change the law that he now claims was so onerous he needed to break it. From the NYT:

President Bush did not ask Congress to include provisions for the N.S.A. domestic surveillance program as part of the Patriot Act and has not sought any other laws to authorize the operation....

Seeking Congressional approval was also viewed as politically risky because the proposal would be certain to face intense opposition on civil liberties grounds. The administration also feared that by publicly disclosing the existence of the operation, its usefulness in tracking terrorists would end, officials said.