To read the dominent media or watch the talking bobbleheads you’d think there wasn’t a miraculous 3rd extremely successful election in Iraq. All I’ve heard or read is how there was an election BUT the Iraqi’s have to do this or do that or get this or get that. Hearing Harry Reid this morning I wish I could have played out a Twighlight Zone act where I was able to reach my hand through the television screen and choke Harry til he recanted all of his negativity.

One of the more aggregious points from Reid was said with a straight face that there had been 700 US Soldiers killed since the last election in Iraq(ahhh, Harry, you forgot about the election in October huh). Yes, that’s the level of attention Harry Reid, the leader of the Senate Democrats, has with the events regarding Iraq. Must be that Attention Deficit Disorder which seems to affect every Democrat politician in Washington (ok, I’ll give Joe Lieberman a pass on this one).

When are the Democrats and even some Republicans (Lindsay Graham are you listening?) going to wake up to the more serious problem with our intelligence community. That is the leaking of national security secrets to the media. How many leaks have there been just this year alone? And I’m not talking about the pseudo Plamegate fantasy. How about some genuine outrage and serious effort to stop this at once from our legislators. How about uncovering one of these leakers and going after them like the media has trampled Scooter Libby.

From Powerline we get a lesson on “Presidential Power and the Surveillance of Foreign Powers Conspiring with United States Citizens” which Hugh Hewitt wrote about:

Overlooked in most of the commentary on the New York Times article is the simple, undeniable fact that the president has the power to conduct warrantless surveillance of foreign powers conspiring to kill Americans or attack the government. The Fourth Amendment, which prohibits “unreasonable” searches and seizures, has not been interpreted by the Supreme Court to restrict this inherent presidential power. The 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (an introduction from a critic of the Act is here) cannot be read as a limit on a constitutional authority even if the Act purported to do so.

“Further, the instant case requires no judgment on the scope of the President’s surveillance power with respect to the activities of foreign powers, within or without this country.” That is from the 1972 decision in United States v. United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan et al, (407 U.S. 297) which is where the debate over the president’s executive order ought to begin and end. The FISA statute can have no impact on a constitutional authority, any more than an Act of Congress could diminish the First Amendment protection provided newspapers. Statutes cannot add to or detract from constitutional authority.

Now I have to learn about the Presidential powers relating to surveillance of foreign powers and remember it for Christmas at home with the family. I’m sure that I’ll need it considering I can bank on this topic coming up at the most inopportune moment.

And just in case you didn’t catch Powerline’s commentary: Do you believe in magic? You don’t want to miss this satire on the current Democrat strategy.