Warrantless Wiretaps A Waste

Bush has told the nation that the illegal warrantless wiretaps he authorized the NSA to conduct were vital to national security. This couldn't be further from the truth. The reality is that the NSA tips that flowed from those wiretaps led to dead ends or innocent Americans, while diverting vital FBI resources from real investigations to wild goose chases. The few terrorists located with the taps were individuals that the FBI was already investigating and hence, could have sworn out warrants for under the exceptionally loose standards required for the secret FISA court, particularly in light of the Patriot Act.