President Bush is finding the laws of this country to be inconvenient.

CAMP DAVID, Md. - President Bush on Friday criticized a federal court ruling that said his warrantless wiretapping program is unconstitutional, declaring that opponents "do not understand the nature of the world in which we live."

"I strongly disagree with that decision, strongly disagree," Bush said, striking his finger on a podium to underscore his point. "That's why I instructed the Justice Department to appeal immediately, and I believe our appeals will be upheld."

U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in Detroit on Thursday was the first to find the National Security Agency surveillance program unconstitutional. The program involves monitoring international phone calls and e-mails to and from the United States involving people with suspected ties to terrorists.

"If al-Qaida is calling in to the United States, we want to know why they're calling," Bush said.

He then rolled his yellow eyes, and gnashed is terrible teeth, and waved is horrible claws.

Critics say the surveillance program skirts the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which requires court warrants for domestic eavesdropping. The administration has argued that obtaining warrants from a secret court set up under FISA is a time-consuming process unsuited for the government's fast-moving war on terror.

Of course, nobody is saying that the government shouldn't be doing all kinds of intelligence and surveillance work to find and prevent terrorist activity. It's just this little thing of following the Constitution in doing so.

The judge said the government, in defending the program, appeared to be saying the president had the "inherent power" to violate laws of Congress.

"It was never the intent of the framers to give the president such unfettered control," Taylor wrote in a 43-page opinion. "... There are no hereditary Kings in America and no powers not created by the Constitution. So all 'inherent powers' must derive from that Constitution."

The law says that the Executive Branch must work with the Judiciary Branch when it comes to activity that potentially violates people's Constitutional rights.

The President says to hell with the Constitution, he can't be bothered with it. It seems like a violation of his Oath of Office. Of course, for the Bush Administration and the Republican-run Congress, accountability doesn't get much traction these days.

Update: John Aravosis is much more blunt:

I've had it with this idiot.

We've got the president of the fucking United States of America lecturing a US court of law that it's supposed to reach decisions NOT based on the rule of law, but on "the nature of the world we live in."

You God damn stupid fuck.

Glenn Greenwald interviewed on Democracy Now:

Only a king can operate outside of the rule of law. And this court has adopted that approach, that rhetoric, because the Bush administration’s theory of executive power really does vest in him the power of a monarch, and it’s very encouraging, and surprisingly so, to see courts being so explicit about what this government is arguing in and why it’s so wrong.

Jim on Irregular Times:

This is America. We have no Kings.

blueinmo on For All of Us:

The judge ordered them to cease and desist immediatly. Will Frist call everyone back from vacation so they can pass Arlen Spectors bill? Will Bush finally get his wish to Burn the G'D' piece of paper (Bush's words not mine).

Bushs only job is to uphold the Constitution. period! Argue if you want but that is his obligation.

It's amazing the media is ignoring this even though journalists are being attacked and jailed for telling the truth.

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