President Bush, in the Rose Garden, with the Constitution and Some White-Out, at 1:15

President Bush signed into law the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, at 1:15 p.m. this afternoon in the Rose Garden.

Immediately after he signed, the ACLU sued.

Our clients are reporters, organizations like Amnesty International, Global Fund for Women, and Human Rights Watch, and defense attorneys, whose activities will be greatly curtailed by this new law.

Our argument is simple: This bill is a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment. You know, the one that says:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Our lawsuit asks a federal court to stop the government from enforcing this new, clearly unconstitutional wiretapping law, which will give the Bush administration unfettered power to spy on innocent Americans without warrants or judicial oversight. It's clear that the Bush administration doesn't believe in checks and balances and judicial review, but the ACLU has faith that the courts still have a role in our government. To read the legal documents, visit here.

We're running a full-page ad in a national newspaper to let the White House know exactly what we think of its wholesale evisceration of the Fourth Amendment. Join us, if you please, by signing this petition to add your name to the ad.

On January 20, 2001, George H.W. Bush swore to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Taking some white-out to the Fourth Amendment is no good Americans' idea of preserving, protecting, and defending.

Can you hear us now, President Bush?