Musharraf first to know about US surveillance plans

WASHINGTON: Long before the American media or public knew about the secret, warrant-less surveillance programme initiated by President George Bush as part of his anti-terrorism measures, President Pervez Musharraf was told about it, and by Bush himself. A little-noticed passage in Bob Woodward’s book Bush at War, unearthed by the Washington Post on Tuesday recounts a meeting between Bush and Musharraf at the Waldorf Towers hotel in New York in November 2001. Bush started by talking about plans for a quick victory in Afghanistan but then turned to another topic, according to Woodward (page 303). He writes, “He (Bush) had become fascinated with the ability of the National Security Agency to intercept phone calls and other communications worldwide. If they got the key phone calls, future terrorism might be stopped, certainly, curtailed. Bush summarised his strategy: ‘Listen to every phone call and close them down to protect innocents’.” By the time Bush spoke to Gen Musharraf, he had already issued his order allowing the National Security Agency to intercept communications between the United States and overseas locations without warrants. The secret programme was never disclosed to the American public until press reports last year blew it open. Woodward says he does not know what Bush may have had in mind when he spoke to Musharraf.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\03\22\story_22-3-2006_pg1_2

Much more so than can the members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, after all they were vetted by the FBI. Every time I think this idiot has exhausted his capacity to outrage me he manges to prove me wrong.

Wonder if that statement is admissible in court.

The more I learn about the role of Pakistan in 9/11 and nuclear proliferation, the more obvious it becomes that Pervez is playing Dubya for a sucker in the worst possible way.

If we lose Washington, it'll be to a Pakistan-designed nuke that we and Dubya's Saudi friends paid for.