[ QUOTE ]
Bush in 2004:
"Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so. It's important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution."
[/ QUOTE ]
I was able to find this quote through a google search, including on the
White House webpage. Despite disagreeing with many of Bush's policies and his conception of how to deal with terrorism, I have tried very hard not to overstate his flaws and defects. I have not been in a rush to call him a liar.
But this seems to me a clear indication that he has lied to the American people as to what the government is doing. This, to me, is a very serious breach of trust. I do believe that Mr. Bush is doing what he thinks is best for America, but I find it
very troubling that he believes that he is justified in lying directly to the American people. I already do not like how much this administration withholds information from American citizens and makes it very difficult to be well-informed about what is happening in our government, but the outright dishonesty here is at another level entirely.