It's "surveillance" not spying

Bush clarified once again today that eavesdropping on Americans' calls without probable cause is not illegal, nor is it spying:

In his remarks, Bush said that allowing the NSA to monitor the international phone calls and e-mails of Americans with suspected ties to terrorists can hardly be considered "domestic spying."

"It's what I would call a terrorist surveillance program," Bush said at Kansas State. "If they're making a phone call in the United States, it seems like to me we want to know why."

He said he "had all kinds of lawyers review the process" to ensure it didn't violate civil liberties or the law.

Right. Well, Alberto Gonzales is a lawyer, so it's not exactly like those credentials buy any kind of guarantee of civil liberty defense.

Anyway, Rove is calling the issue "a political winner" for the next election. Myself, I'm brushing up on my German. Tomorrow belongs to me.