Warantless wiretapping? Only if it is or isn't legal.
Ever since it was revealed that the Bush administration wanted wiretaps without warrants, wiretapping has been a hot issue. John McCain puts his foot down when it comes to breaking the law. Or does he?
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Senator McCain has generally been on the more "conservative" side of this issue, believing that warrants are unnecessary for overseas communications. However, until recently, he's maintained the completely radical notion that "presidents have the obligation to obey and enforce laws that are passed by Congress and signed into law by the president, no matter what the situation is."
Pressed for clarification, he stated rather clearly: "I don’t think the president has the right to disobey any law."
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Now he likes Bush's wiretapping program. A top advisor for Senator McCain posted a letter to the National Review, stating that the President somehow has the power under Article II of the Constitution to break the law.
An article from the New York Times puts it succintly:
Although a spokesman for Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, denied that the senator’s views on surveillance and executive power had shifted, legal specialists said the letter contrasted with statements Mr. McCain previously made about the limits of presidential power.
To add final insult to injury, Senator McCain seems to believe that the only ones who care about civil liberties are the A.C.L.U. and trial lawyers.
