(and that's the problem)

True that power does as it wishes, until a majority of the public gets upset and pushes back. That's worked out pretty well those few times it's happened. And naturally if a majority of the public viewed the problem as I do, of course they'd be upset.

I just find it unnerving (after several years of unnerving events) that the government's essentially performing without a net; or maybe you could say without adult supervision. The chant of "War powers! War powers!" has worn pretty thin for me. Before I'd see Bush get any more power, I'd like him to account for what good he's accomplished with the expanded powers he's gotten so far. From the outside, the combination of "shut up and trust me" and ceaseless demands for more power only looks like a hunger for power. Nothing here on which to hang my trust.

The reassurance that only calls to/from "known terrorists" seems like a rather thin thread. We know that if we attempt to pin that down by asking how they'll know which numbers to monitor, we'll get a smug "sorry, we can't reveal our sources". No public oversight possible, and Bush has disdained even the confidential oversight of FISA. Why?? That's such an opaquely dumb move; I don't get it. If Bush can reassure us that the calls are from known terrorists, why worry that FISA won't grant the warrant on solid evidence?

Suppose that Bush is entirely sincere and he intends that the delegated power be used strictly in the manner prescribed, presumably after other evidence has solidly identified a terrorist phone number to monitor. He's delegated that power to potentially thousands of people, and it's just not within his power to back up his assurances when the only constraint on all those people is their individual honor and integrity. The technological capability underlying this doesn't know terrorist phone numbers from pizza delivery, and will obediently monitor any number it's told.

Thousands of Federal employees who aren't answerable to anybody have such broad powers at the touch of a button with no oversight and no control. That doesn't bother you?

(It bothers me that I sound like a Conservative in my skeptical view of government power, though. It's a world gone mad, Frank, a world gone mad.)