Still, my main concern is that, going forward, legislation be introduced to update FISA for the 21st century…

The USA Patriot Act did introduce significant modifications to FISA. If those were insufficient, the Administration has had 4 years to propose further modifications.

But that is not, I suspect, what this is about. It seems that the powers the Adminstration seeks would never pass Constitutional muster and that, in the end, that’s why they decided to act without Congressional mandate, or Judicial oversight.

[A]re you then saying that articles of impeachment should be drafted and the process begun?

First, they need to hold hearings to investigate exactly what the NSA was doing, and on what authority.

To be sure, since it took 4 years for the mere existence of the program to come to light, we probably don’t know its full parameters, let alone what other illegal activities may have been, similarly, initiated by Executive Order.

Then, if the facts warrant, they need to bring Articles of Impeachment.

I wouldn’t be opposed to hearings that just delved into the matter more deeply, provided they were held in closed session if national security issues were discussed, as they certainly would be…

Still, my main concern is that, going forward, legislation be introduced to update FISA for the 21st century…

Congress holds hearings all the time about potential illegal activities in this or that sphere.

And in the case of (alleged) Presidential wrongdoing, it is the Senate, not the Courts, which is charged with adjudicating the matter. That’s why it is called an “Impeachment Trial“.

[T]he issue of whether it should be legal is seperate from whether it is,…

And, unless I misunderstand you, you propose to entirely ignore the latter question, while holding hearings on the former.

Seems to me that that’s not merely ignoring illegal activity, but actively encouraging it.

and George W. Bush won’t be in the White House forever

Three years is a very long time.

That having been said, I really do wish Congress would address the issue with new legislation of some sort, so that the parameters can be debated and set…

Four years after this program of large-scale illegal wiretapping was initiated, now you want Congress to consider legislation to (retroactively) legalize the practice? If anyone in the Administration had the slightest interest in maintaining the rule of law, why weren’t they proposing amending FISA, or new legislation to cover this NSA eavesdropping, years ago?

[Under the "Yoo Doctrine," of course, no such legislation is required: the President has unlimited powers during wartime and can do whatever the heck he wants. Conveniently, the War on Terror will last forever, or until a Democratic President is elected, whichever comes first.]

Yes, there should be Congressional Hearings. To determine, definitively, whether the President acted illegally (it sure looks that way, but IANAL). And if he did, impeachment proceedings should follow.

If a Democrat were in the White House, you would be demanding no less…