Supreme Court Decision on Gitmo Undermines Bush's Legal Case For Warrantless Wiretapping

The impact of today's Supreme Court decision on military commissions goes well beyond Guantanamo. The Supreme Court has ruled that the Authorization for the Use of Military Force - issued by Congress in the days after 9/11 - is not a blank check for the administration.

The Bush administration doesn't argue that warrantless wiretapping was something specifically contemplated in the text or by Congress. Rather, the administration argues that it is implied as part of a broad authorization to "use all necessary and appropriate force."

The Supreme Court has rejected that expansive interpretation. It's a huge blow to the administration's legal rationale for warrantless wiretapping.

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