Time mag Monday: Controversial spying program could give boost to Bush

RAW STORY
Published: Sunday May 14, 2006

From a TIME press release to RAW STORY.

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New York, NY-There was a time-say, four years and nine months ago-when news that the government had been gathering up the country's phone records might have been the making of a scandal, or even a constitutional crisis. But although there have been protests from civil libertarians and some criticism on Capitol Hill, early indications suggest the revelation could actually give a political boost to President George W. Bush, reports TIME's Karen Tumulty in the new issue of TIME, on newsstands Monday, May 15th.

There are also new questions being asked about the government's previously disclosed eavesdropping on international calls, after the Justice Department's ethics office last week dropped its investigation into the conduct of its lawyers who gave legal advice on that program. The investigating lawyers were denied the necessary security clearances to look into the matter. Asked what agency refused the access, Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse told TIME: “We don't discuss internal decision-making processes.”

In a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that was obtained by TIME, Senate Judiciary chairman Arlen Specter complained, “I cannot understand why the department has denied the clearances necessary for this degree of modest, internal oversight. I urge you to reconsider this decision.”

Officials insist that the NSA is not eavesdropping on the millions of law-abiding Americans whose phone records it has collected but merely compiling what the telephone companies refer to as “call detail” information, recording what number called what number, when and for how long.

TIME's package also includes a profile of General Michael Hayden, former NSA director whom Bush has nominated to be director of the CIA, by TIME editor-at-large by Nancy Gibbs entitled “Thinker, Briefer, Soldier, Spy” and a forum of CIA experts weighing in on “How the CIA Can Be Fixed?”

FULL STORY HERE.