Alito defended domestic spying in '84 memo

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-alito24.html

WASHINGTON -- Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito defended the right of government officials to order domestic wiretaps for national security when he worked at the Reagan Justice Department, an echo of President Bush's rationale for spying on U.S. residents in the war on terror.

Then an assistant to the solicitor general, Alito wrote a 1984 memo that provided insights on his views of government powers and legal recourse -- seen now through the prism of Bush's actions -- as well as clues to the judge's understanding of how the Supreme Court operates.

The National Archives released the memo and scores of other documents related to Alito on Friday; the Associated Press had requested the material under the Freedom of Information Act. The memo comes as Bush is under fire for secretly ordering domestic spying of suspected terrorists without a warrant.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said Monday he would ask Alito about the president's authority at confirmation hearings beginning Jan. 9. The memo's release Friday prompted committee Democrats to signal that they will press the conservative jurist about executive powers.

The C-Span host was just talking about this, and I went off to find the article. There it was, right in my face. Thanks.

And I think that instead of screening his appointees for Roe v Wade like everyone thought - Bush was probably far more interested in screening candidates for their opinions on executive power(limitless) and say, how do you feel about wiretaps, anyway?