Former Vice President Al Gore sharply criticized President George W. Bush today, saying that the National Security Agency surveillance program disclosed last month “virtually compels the conclusion that the President of the United States has been breaking the law repeatedly and persistently.”

“A president who breaks the law is a threat to the very structure of our government,” Gore said. “Our Founding Fathers were adamant that they had established a government of laws and not men.”

Gore also had harsh words for Congress, saying it had failed to act properly as a check on executive power. “The Executive Branch, time and again, has co-opted Congress’ role, and often Congress has been a willing accomplice in the surrender of its own power,” he said.

Here’s a choice cut from Gore’s remarks:

We have a duty as Americans to defend our citizens’ right not only to life but also to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is therefore vital in our current circumstances that immediate steps be taken to safeguard our Constitution against the present danger posed by the intrusive overreaching on the part of the Executive Branch and the President’s apparent belief that he need not live under the rule of law.

I endorse the words of Bob Barr, when he said, “The President has dared the American people to do something about it. For the sake of the Constitution, I hope they will.”

A special counsel should immediately be appointed by the Attorney General to remedy the obvious conflict of interest that prevents him from investigating what many believe are serious violations of law by the President. We have had a fresh demonstration of how an independent investigation by a special counsel with integrity can rebuild confidence in our system of justice. Patrick Fitzgerald has, by all accounts, shown neither fear nor favor in pursuing allegations that the Executive Branch has violated other laws.

Republican as well as Democratic members of Congress should support the bipartisan call of the Liberty Coalition for the appointment of a special counsel to pursue the criminal issues raised by warrantless wiretapping of Americans by the President.

Second, new whistleblower protections should immediately be established for members of the Executive Branch who report evidence of wrongdoing — especially where it involves the abuse of Executive Branch authority in the sensitive areas of national security.

Third, both Houses of Congress should hold comprehensive — and not just superficial — hearings into these serious allegations of criminal behavior on the part of the President. And, they should follow the evidence wherever it leads.

Fourth, the extensive new powers requested by the Executive Branch in its proposal to extend and enlarge the Patriot Act should, under no circumstances be granted, unless and until there are adequate and enforceable safeguards to protect the Constitution and the rights of the American people against the kinds of abuses that have so recently been revealed.

Fifth, any telecommunications company that has provided the government with access to private information concerning the communications of Americans without a proper warrant should immediately cease and desist their complicity in this apparently illegal invasion of the privacy of American citizens. — Al Gore

I’m not sure how far he’ll get with a call for a special counsel, since the Attorney General has signed off on this program repeatedly…

Gore’s speech Monday at a symposium held at the Daughters of the American Revolution in Washington, D.C., was organized by the Liberty Coalition and the American Constitution Society for Law and Public Policy.

Former Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.) was scheduled to introduce him, but could not do so due to technical problems with the satellite feed, according to the New York Times.

A copy of Gore’s speech is available, and you all should go read it. He’s got much more where that came from.