MCCAIN TO APPOINT MAGIC 8 BALL AS ATTORNEY GENERAL

MCCAIN TO APPOINT MAGIC 8 BALL AS ATTORNEY GENERAL

"Would be first black AG, experts say"

MSNBC
From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann
MIAMI, FL – The question of whether or not President Bush overstepped his constitutional power by authorizing warrantless checks of Americans' international communications after 9/11 is "ambiguous," McCain said yesterday. But, he added, he hopes not to dwell on the issue.

"It's ambiguous as to whether the president acted within his authority or not," McCain told reporters at a press conference in the Florida Everglades yesterday.

The question of presidential authority has been a hot topic in past weeks, as key surveillance legislation has been gummed up in Congress. A sticking point has been the question of whether telecommunications companies can be prosecuted retroactively for participating in the post-9/11 surveillance. McCain, who believes that they should not face such penalties, called for the quick passage of that legislation, saying of the wiretapping debate that "the whole issue can be resolved by passing the FISA bill."