Al Franken's Fantasy Press Conference

Al Franken helps shed some light on what the President said about the NSA.

RNC puts American lives at risk

The President is a threat to America. If he attacks Iran, American civilians could be lawfully be targeted in a counter strike. Having the RNC in power means American civilians in the Continental United States face increased chances of death.

Imaginary Press Conference

What would a real Press Conference between Al Franken and President Bush be like?

One way of answering this, is to study The Truth by Al Franken, cut and paste what Mr. Franken might intelligently ask the President, then use the President's words to illustrate the likely result.

Below, you'll see a made up press Conference between the astute Franken, and the bungling President. Not closely that this is completely fabricated, and Al Franken has no consented to any of this.

We trust Franken's three Grandchildren might find this amusing, and even a moron in the Oval Office might laugh.

Maybe not.

The President really said these things.

Do you feel safer?

* * *

Forecasts: PDB is forward looking

Franken: Mr. President, 9-11 happened on your watch. Despite being told in the Presidential Daily Briefing, or "PDB" in August 2001 about the increasing risk of a future attack, you didn't do anything to protect America. Did you actually read the Presidential Daily briefing in August telling you about the upcoming risk that AlQueda posed to America? It looks like you would rather read about goats than . . .

Bush: After September the 11th, I vowed to the American people that our government would do everything within the law to protect them against another terrorist attack.

Worthless RNC promises endanger American lives

Franken Mr. President, you promised that when you were first sworn in, so your promise under 5 USC 3331 doesn't really mean all that much. There's been some confusion on your part. Using your logic, the enemy "might be" in Afghanistan, Iraq, or the White House. Tell us more about this effort to protect the Constitution as you took an oath to do.

Bush: As part of this effort, I authorized the National Security Agency to intercept the international communications of people with known links to al Qaeda and related terrorist organizations.

RNC excuses put American lives at risk

Franken: If you know they're linked to AlQueda, why aren't you arresting them?

Bush: In other words, if al Qaeda or their associates are making calls into the United States or out of the United States, we want to know what they're saying.

Franken: Mr. President, you're listening to the calls. If you know how to track down AlQueda, why are you unable to find them and bring them to court so we can see what you're doing?

RNC talking point: Avoid talking about the NSA contractors

Bush: Today there are new claims about other ways we are tracking down al Qaeda to prevent attacks on America.

Franken: Your point?

Bush: I want to make some important points about what the government is doing and what the government is not doing.

Franken: You're not following the law. What are the NSA contractors and non-government entities doing? What about domestic activity -- what are you doing inside the United States, and how many innocent Americans are your illegality monitoring?

Bush: First, our international activities strictly target al Qaeda and their known affiliates.

Franken: Mr. President, you're not answering the question. You keep talking about non-domestic activities. When you say "our", are you including the NSA contractors? Again, if you know they are affiliates, why aren't you arresting them? Why are you moving the troops from Afghanistan, to Iraq, then to the Mexican border?

Bush: Al Qaeda is our enemy, and we want to know their plans.

RNC violates laws, putting American lives at risk

Franken: So. . .rather than stop them, you want them to keep planning? That's not a change like you promised after Sept 2001. DoJ personnel have enough time to make Wiki updates, but not enough time to follow the law. Could you share with the public why your attorney General said that getting a FISA warrant would be difficult, and that you were afraid the FISA court would reject what you had hoped to do? Also, please outline the method by which you transcribe the data from audio into a written text.

Bush: Second, the government does not listen to domestic phone calls without court approval.

RNC uses contractors to violate the law, putting American lives at risk

Franken: Mr. President, you're not denying that contractors listen>, and that the contractors are reviewing the written transcripts with the government. Please cite the specific case law which permits Americans to be monitored without a warrant or the FISA court for five years; and which case law states that the Constitution no longer applies.

Bush: Third, the intelligence activities I authorized are lawful and have been briefed to appropriate members of Congress, both Republican and Democrat.

RNC violates the law, putting American lives at risk

Franken Mr. President, Nixon said the same thing, "It's legal because I said so." Today, you're doing the same -- you didn't go to the court to get permission, or justify why this is legal. Could you discuss the privacy protection methods the NSA contractors are following to ensure that the information illegally obtained is not provided to the JTTF for domestic targeting or the RNC for political advertising.

Bush: Fourth, the privacy of ordinary Americans is fiercely protected in all our activities.

RNC uses contractors, putting American lives at risk

Franken: Mr. President, you failed to deny that the NSA contractors are or are not doing anything, but only commented on what the government is or isn't doing. Could you discuss the private contractors, and what the NSA contractors are doing with this information once they transcribe it into written text?

Bush: We're not mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans.

RNC puts American lives at risk

Franken: Mr. President, if they're innocent, you haven't really explained why you're doing what you're doing. You failed to deny that the contractors are mining and trolling through the lives of millions of innocent Americans. Was Saddam Hussein behind the 9-11 attacks; or are you suggesting that AlQueda is located in Iraq?

Bush: Our efforts are focused on links to al Qaeda and their known affiliates.

RNC puts American lives at risk

Franken: There's no record that AlQueda and Saddam cooperated on 9-11, yet you've invaded Iraq. You were told in August 2006 what the threat was, but you did nothing prior to 9-11 other than say non-sense. Who placed the explosives inside the World Trade Center?

Bush: So far we've been very successful in preventing another attack on our soil.

RNC puts American lives at risk

Franken: You're not sure who placed the explosives; or you don't want to admit that the CIA and NSA know who were involved in the post 9-11 cover up about the explosives in the Word Trade Center?

Bush: As a general matter, every time sensitive intelligence is leaked, it hurts our ability to defeat this enemy.

RNC puts American lives at risk

Franken: You've failed to deny that the CIA and NSA know about the explosives in the world trade center. Could you discuss the decision not to go after AlQueda in Afghanistan, and move forces from Afghanistan to an unrelated area like Iraq. How does invading a country that posed no threat, make American safer?

Bush: Our most important job is to protect the American people from another attack, and we will do so within the laws of our country.

Franken: You'd think that the sitting President of the United States would follow the law, and protect America by going after the right enemy. Who is American going after inside the NSA and CIA to find out who placed the explosives inside the World Trace Center towers 1, 2, and 7?

Bush: [No response, walking away, to the wrong door.]

RNC puts American lives at risk

* * *

If you want to know the truth about the White House illegal domestic surveillance program, I suggest you start reading The Truth, then review what the President refuses to talk about.

Key points

1. Bush asserts what "the government" is or isn't doing, but fails to talk about what the NSA contractors/non-government entities are doing.

2. Bush says no one in the government is listening, yet he doesn't talk about which NSA contractors or government official like Bolton are reading the transcripts.

3. Bush makes no legal case to justify whether the computers -- non-human/non-government entities -- are or are not lawfully being used.

4. Bush cannot explain why "this supposedly legal thing" cannot be subjected to the FISA court; or why the DoJ officials refused to go to the FISA court because they feared the FISA Court would not let the President violate the FISA Act.

5. Bush can't explain why -- if AlQueda is the enemy -- who really placed the explosives in the world trade center.

6. Bush can't explain why -- if AlQueda is the enemy -- why the US invaded Iraq. On page 43-44 of his book, Franken relays the shocking assertion by then Secretary of Defense who predicted a quagmire in Iraq.

Cheney was right in 1991, then he was wrong. Now he's the target of a Grand Jury investigation.

RNC puts American lives at risk

* * *

Here's the original

Click

12:03 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: After September the 11th, I vowed to the American people that our government would do everything within the law to protect them against another terrorist attack. As part of this effort, I authorized the National Security Agency to intercept the international communications of people with known links to al Qaeda and related terrorist organizations. In other words, if al Qaeda or their associates are making calls into the United States or out of the United States, we want to know what they're saying.

Today there are new claims about other ways we are tracking down al Qaeda to prevent attacks on America. I want to make some important points about what the government is doing and what the government is not doing.

First, our international activities strictly target al Qaeda and their known affiliates. Al Qaeda is our enemy, and we want to know their plans. Second, the government does not listen to domestic phone calls without court approval. Third, the intelligence activities I authorized are lawful and have been briefed to appropriate members of Congress, both Republican and Democrat. Fourth, the privacy of ordinary Americans is fiercely protected in all our activities.

We're not mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans. Our efforts are focused on links to al Qaeda and their known affiliates. So far we've been very successful in preventing another attack on our soil.

As a general matter, every time sensitive intelligence is leaked, it hurts our ability to defeat this enemy. Our most important job is to protect the American people from another attack, and we will do so within the laws of our country.

Thank you.

END 12:05 P.M. EDT