Bush prefers criminals

Watched Olbermann last night and listened to constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley discussing our system. He suggests that our checks and balances have deteriorated under this presidency and this congress--especially this congress because they refuse to even investigate this president.

"Turley: Well, first of all this President's theory of his power I think is now so extreme that it's unprecedented. He believes that he has the inherent authority to violate federal law. He has said that. Not just the signing statements and the infamous torture memo-that Alberto Gonzales signed. It was stated that he could in some circumstances order federal officials to violate federal law and this is consistent across the board with this President. Frankly, I'm not too sure what he thought he was swearing to when he took the oath of office to uphold the Constitution and our laws. I've never seen a President who is so uncomfortable in his constitutional skin."

So we have a president who seems to scoff at the law. Turley compares Bush to the mob in that he seems to reward law breakers.

"Despite the vocal surprise, Hayden's nomination is actually all too predictable. While alleged violations of federal laws have long been viewed as a negative resume item, it doesn't appear to be a problem for Bush's inner circle. From his very first appointments, Bush appeared inclined toward officials who appear willing to treat the law as a mere technicality."

And for those who continue to say this is nothing, take a look at this story: NSA has massive database of Americans' phone calls

"The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement told USA TODAY.
The NSA program reaches into homes and businesses across the nation by amassing information about the calls of ordinary Americans %u2014 most of whom aren't suspected of any crime. This program does not involve the NSA listening to or recording conversations. But the spy agency is using the data to analyze calling patterns in an effort to detect terrorist activity, sources said in separate interviews."