American Bar Assoc.: "Abide By the Constitution, Sombitch!"

Via Ralph Nader, news of an American Bar Association (ABA) task force report "accusing President Bush, in polite legal language, of violating both the Constitution and federal law." The full report, and the cover letter they sent with it to the White House, are the first two links on the ABA page, Task Force on Domestic Surveillance in the Fight Against Terrorism.

As Nader notes, the mass media (you know, the Diabolically Anti-Bush Liberal Media) sure missed this news.

The mass media, which has finally produced many exposés of the Bush war, ignored the significance of this condemnation by the nation's largest body of lawyers, written in part by attorneys who have served in the FBI, CIA and NSA. It should have been page one news.

And maybe it still will be; it's good stuff. A sampling:

RESOLVED, that the American Bar Association calls upon the President to abide by the limitations which the Constitution imposes on a president under our system of checks and balances and respect the essential roles of the Congress and the judicial branch in ensuring that our national security is protected in a manner consistent with constitutional guarantees;

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the American Bar Association opposes any future electronic surveillance inside the United States by any U.S. government agency...

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the American Bar Association urges the Congress to affirm that the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), did not provide a statutory exception to the FISA requirements...

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the American Bar Association urges the Congress to conduct a thorough, comprehensive investigation to determine: (a) the nature and extent of electronic surveillance of U.S. persons... (b) what basis or bases were advanced ... for the legality of such surveillance; (c) whether the Congress was properly informed of and consulted as to the surveillance; (d) the nature of the information obtained... and (e) whether this information was used in legal proceedings against any U.S. citizen.

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the American Bar Association urges the Congress to ensure that such proceedings are open to the public...

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the American Bar Association urges the Congress to thoroughly review and make recommendations concerning the intelligence oversight process, and urges the President to ensure that the House and Senate are fully and currently informed of all intelligence operations as required by the National Security Act of 1947.