Senate drops NSA probe

It was clear a few days ago that Congress was not going to investigate the secret NSA surveillance program due to pressure from the White House. Today it seems certain. Is it really surprising? Many said that not much would change after the last election--that we shouldn't make such a big deal of Bush's victory. The problem isn't just Bush. Because of a Republican Congress and weak Democrats, we're missing checks and balances. This is why I feared a Bush victory.

One Senator (Democrat) said that we shouldn't have an investigation if its just to punish the President politically. It was suggested that the problem could be solved with legislation. No! You see, the problem is that Bush's argument depends on the notion that executive power in time of war can go unchecked. If you don't punish him politically for this position, it'll continue to happen, possibly even getting worse. This is the direct result of Bush winning the framing war. Because he framed any dispute of this program as being purely political--that the program itself is, as it stands, absolutely necessary for the War on Terror--weak Democrats are unable to discuss the legal implications of executive abuse.

Perhaps this will be my final post on this matter. I need to move on to other issues...