President Bush stepped up his rhetoric this morning at a press conference while utilizing the usual lies and fear tactics in his attempts to coerce Congress into passing an illegal law to keep his illegal activities covered up — at the cost of individual rights and privacy.

What makes the situation even more pathetic — albeit slightly amusing — for the Republicans in the House and the Senate is the fact that they’re whining because the telecoms aren’t giving them money for selling out Americans and the Constitution.

Noted in the PA Editors Blog: “In Congress, Senate Republicans led by Mitch McConnell and John McCain threatened to filibuster and George W. Bush threatened to veto a FISA extension that did not have an immunity clause for corporations who broke the law.

In other words, by Bush-McCain-Republican logic it is wrong for the Democrats to risk national security, but it is OK for them to risk American lives in order to ensure that a few corporations get immunity for breaking the law and passing your private information on to the federal government.”

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The battle over telecom immunity continues. Today a few major newspapers and other political hacks for the President published — knowingly and inaccurately — articles spreading misinformation regarding the expiration of the Protect America Act, while using the usual fear tactics to make us believe we are in grave danger. The blatant lies and BS continue to be slung as the president attempts to cover his ass.

Four former senior level intelligence officials, who have all worked with Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell in the past, sent a letter to McConnell seeking clarification on statements made by him and President Bush over FISA and telecom immunity.

The letter — which notes that it’s wrong to make telecom immunity “an immovable impediment to Congress passing strong legislation to protect the American people” — was published on the National Security Network Org. web site.

It was signed by former Senior Director for Combating Terrorism at the National Security Council Rand Beers, former head of counterterrorism at the National Security Council Richard A. Clarke, former Deputy National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. Don Kerrick and former assistant general counsel at the CIA Suzanne Spaulding. Text of the letter can be found between the lines below followed by a handful of other links.

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In typical fashion, the Bush administration continues resorting to political scare tactics — the usual use of Fear, Uncertaintly and Doubt (FUD) tactics in attempts to coerce House Democratic leaders and Congress — while the politicized ‘justice’ and ‘national intelligence’ departments continue making themselves look pretty pathetic.

Over this past weekend, the Associated Press published a story titled ‘Bush blames Dems on surveillance bill’ in which President Bush, during his weekly radio address, said House Democratic leaders are blocking intelligence legislation so lawyers can sue telephone companies for helping the government eavesdrop on suspected terrorists.

True to form, the Justice Department and the Office of National Intelligence corrected a statement made earlier issued by Attorney General Mukasey and Director of National Intelligence McConnell that the government had ‘lost intelligence’ because some companies had refused to initiate wiretaps against people covered by orders issued under the expired — due to the president’s unwillingness to extend it — Protect America Act (PAA).

President Bush wants retroactive immunity added to the PAA to keep secret illegal activities authorized and employed by the president secret and refused to allow anything else.

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News 8 Austin recently reported on a growing number of active duty soldiers and recent Iraq war veterans who have begun speaking up about the war in Iraq — a number of soldiers are talking about their experiences in Iraq via online forums, blogs and pamphlets. Some Iraq war veterans feel it’s their duty to let the American public know the truth.

Fort Hood soldier Casey Porter, who started the local branch of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) there, said “We lost really good friends, really good leaders who died in Iraq. From my perspective, it didn’t make any sense, we didn’t accomplish anything, and I talked to a lot of other soldiers who feel the same way.”

Currently back in the U.S. for a limited time while waiting to be redeployed, Porter passes out pamphlets because he feels it’s his obligation to take action for his fallen brothers. Members of his local IVAW are trying to let other soldiers know it’s ok to do the same thing.

Ronn Cantu, another Fort Hood soldier awaiting redeployment to Iraq, says that it’s well within the rights service members have, but not many soldiers know what rights they do have. Knowing he might not live through his second tour, he feels the need to say things he needs to say.

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In the typical Bush administration fashion of using terroristic politics while trying to portray Congressional Democrats as being soft on the war on terror, Republicans from the House and the Senate, ‘Justice’ department officials and the president himself — the usual players — threatened the loss of American lives if the ‘Protect America Act’ expires because our ‘security professionals’ would be rendered powerless.

You know. The usual lies and broken record BS about the world coming to an end.

It’s not working. Congressional Democratic leaders stood firm and called his bluff. Expiration of the bill would make Bush responsible.

Below is the latest Special Comment from Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Video of his special comment can be found on MSNBC, AlterNet, After Downing Street, You Tube, Crooks and Liars, The Raw Story or Fire Dog Lake:

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There may be hope for Democrats in Congress after all. Proof of the damage done by this presidential administration to both Congress and the Republican party after the past seven plus years of corporate controlled government became more evident today as House Republicans had a hissy fit and walked out — conveniently enough there was a stand with a microphone and reporters right on the steps in front of the building — in the middle of a session.

While the fear-mongering president continues to bellow and blow smoke up the publics’ collective butts, lying about the end of the world coming if the ‘Protect America Act’ expires and threatening worse attacks than the ones he allowed to happen on 9/11, Republicans reportedly put on a more brazen display of American fascism in Washington today.

Noted by Pensito Review:

“First, congressional Republicans put on a show by staging a walk-out to protest the fact that their corporate masters have been left unprotected from liability in the new FISA bill because they conspired with George Bush several years ago to violate federal wiretap laws and spy on Americans hundreds of times:

It’s political gamesmanship of the highest order.”

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Below is information from DailyAwesome.com and Daily Kos:

These 21 Democrats are undecided on the bill giving telecoms retroactive immunity and legalizing warrantless spying. We need 7 of them on our side to stop it from becoming law:

Rep. Leonard L. Boswell, D-Iowa — Phone: (202) 225-3806, Fax: (202) 225-5608

Rep. Marion Berry, D-Ark. — Phone: (202) 225-4076, Fax: (202) 225-5602

Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark. — Phone: (202) 225-3772, Fax: (202) 225-1314

Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D. — Phone: (202) 225-2611, Fax: (202) 226-0893

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