It's now been 5 days since President Bush admitted to authorizing the National Security Agency to spy on Americans without court order -- a system he reauthorized as many as 3 dozen times since 2001. Yet despite the outcry from millions of Americans -- both Democrats and Republicans alike -- President Bush has stubbornly promised to continue this illegal and unconstitutional activity.

How can the President of the United States -- the highest elected official in our land, a leader who swore an oath to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution" -- so egregiously and repeatedly violate our most basic civil liberties?

It's time for Congress to act -- to thoroughly investigate the President's actions now.

Urge Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter to hold hearings into the President's conduct, before beginning Supreme Court nomination hearings for Judge Alito - sign my petition today!

We, the undersigned Americans, urge you to hold thorough public hearings into the program of secret, warrant-less wiretaps authorized by President Bush since 2001. Congress must act to thoroughly investigate the President's actions now.

Clearly, protecting Americans from terrorism here at home must be the top priority of any Administration. But we certainly can do that without trampling on the Constitution in the process. Defending America means protecting our homeland as well as preserving our very rights and freedoms as citizens.

That's why Congress enacted the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in 1978, to protect national security while still preserving civil liberties. Why did President Bush consciously choose to violate federal law, even though the Act clearly states that FISA "shall be the exclusive means by which electronic surveillance...and the interception of domestic wire and oral communications may be conducted"?

This egregious and repeated violation of American civil liberties by President Bush and his Administration requires a thorough Congressional investigation. That's why we urge you to hold hearings before you take up Judge Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court.

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