Song meaning of Now We Know What The Battle Was About by Newsweek

The song "Now We Know What The Battle Was About" by Newsweek seems to be inspired by the events and revelations surrounding the Bush Administration's domestic-spying program. The lyrics paint a picture of a contentious clash between top government officials over the indiscriminate collection of communication data.

The song highlights a specific incident in which President Bush's advisors, Andy Card and Alberto Gonzales, tried to pressure Attorney General John Ashcroft, who was in the hospital, to renew the spying program. However, Ashcroft's deputy, James Comey, and FBI Director Robert Mueller intervened to protect Ashcroft from signing anything against his will.

The lyrics indicate that the conflict centered around the massive and unrestricted collection of communications data, rather than just wiretapping suspects. Government sources describe a program called "Stellar Wind," in which the National Security Agency collaborated with telecommunications companies to collect records of calls and emails from millions of Americans. The clash between officials stemmed from legal concerns, with John Yoo's justifications for the program judged flawed by Jack Goldsmith, the head of the Office of Legal Counsel.

The song suggests that Goldsmith and his colleagues ultimately ruled that the program was illegal under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). While the White House argued that the president's powers as commander in chief allowed for bypassing FISA, Goldsmith's team disagreed and successfully shut down the data-collection program.

Overall, the song conveys a message of the tension between governmental power and civil liberties. It illuminates a battle within the Bush Administration over the boundaries of surveillance and raises questions about the legal justifications used to justify such programs. The lyrics suggest that the episode depicted in the song revealed the true nature and stakes of the battle, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding individual privacy and constitutional rights.