The Attack Media

The current coverage by the Main Stream Media (MSM) of the NSA spying on international telephone calls is shocking and alarming. Not because of the spying, mind you. Every president in recent history has conducted warrantless electronic surveillance of international communications for the purpose of national security. And well they should. More on that later.

What is alarming and shocking is the pretense by the MSM that this is something new and disturbing, and that laws have been broken and impeachment is next. It's as if they feel some obligation to see Bush impeached because Clinton was impeached, thinking that a strange sort of moral equivalency will thereby be obtained.

I'm not a lawyer (IANAL), but my first impression on the subject is that of course it is legal and prudent for the United States to monitor communications that cross our borders. Do we not maintain the right to inspect all other traffic that crosses our borders?

There are plenty of posts out there detailing the history of this type of spying: Jimmy Carter's Executive Order on the subject is here, and Bill Clinton's on warrantless physical searches is here. Check out the Powerline for a rational discussion of the subject.