Remember the Grosstapo?

The U.S. has been hit by a wiretap scandal vaguely similar to the one when the "Grosstapo" was in power. George Bush is being accused of overstepping his authority by allowing wiretaps of U.S. citizens without a court order. The stated objective was to protect against terrorists, but it isn't clear why Bush acted outside the courts. Stanislav Gross was accused of similar abuses, but he offered a much more feeble excuse. The sharp rise in wiretaps, he said, was due to the sharp rise in cellphones. It was widely assumed that Gross and even Vladimír Špidla used wiretaps for political gain. One of Jiří Paroubek's successes has been to defuse this explosive subject. Aside from Václav Klaus, politicians have stopped talking about wiretaps. Bush's problem is a reminder that just because you can't hear a click on the line or read about wiretaps in the press, it doesn't mean no one is listening. [Czech Republic President George W. Bush eavesdropping spying espionage]