Is Bush Going Through Your Bank Records?

Did you know that the Pentagon could look through your bank records without a warrant:

The Pentagon and to a lesser extent the CIA have been using a little-known power to look at the banking and credit records of hundreds of Americans and others suspected of terrorism or espionage within the United States, officials said Saturday.[...]The national security letters [statute] permit the executive branch to seek records about people in terror and spy investigations without a judge's approval or grand jury subpoena.

Of course they wouldn't abuse that power:

"It is our understanding that the intelligence community agencies make such requests on a limited basis," said Carl Kropf, a spokesman for the Office of the National Intelligence Director, which oversees all 16 spy agencies in the government.

What gives them the right:

Whitman did not indicate the number of requests that have been made in recent years, but said authorities operate under the Right to Financial Privacy Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the National Security Act.

Even the CIA, which isn't allowed to spy domestically, has access:

The vast majority of national security letters are issued by the FBI, but in very rare circumstances they have been used by the CIA before and after 9/11, said a U.S. intelligence official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the issue's sensitivity.

The CIA has used these non-compulsory letters in espionage investigations and other circumstances, the official said.

How often has this tactic been used:

None of the officials reached by the AP commented about the extent of use by the Defense Department agencies, but the Times said military intelligence officers have sent the letters in up to 500 investigations.

Sounds like another law that Bush can (and maybe has) abuse under the guise of fighting terrorism. His track record is very poor. We should be concerned.