CQ TODAY MIDDAY UPDATE
Feb. 8, 2008 – 2:00 p.m.
Reid Files 15-Day Extension of Surveillance Law
To guard against the expiration of a temporary surveillance law Feb. 16, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., has filed a bill that would extend it for 15 days.
The Senate is expected to pass a six-year bill overhauling the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act on Feb. 12, but that gives lawmakers little time to work out a compromise between the Senate bill and a House-passed version before the Presidents Day recess begins and the temporary law expires.
Reid filed the latest extension Friday “in case we can’t finish the conference negotiations in time,” spokesman Jim Manley said.
Democrats had pressed for a 30-day extension of the current law when it was on the verge of expiring Feb. 1, but President Bush rejected the notion, eventually supporting a 15-day extension instead.
Bush has said he will not accept another extension of the law.
The expiring law allows the executive branch to conduct surveillance of foreign targets without a warrant, even when that foreign target is communicating with someone in the United States. The secret court created by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has limited authority to approve some of the procedures used to conduct such spying.
The pending Senate overhaul would strengthen the FISA court’s authority to approve those procedures. It also would grant retroactive legal immunity to companies being sued for their alleged cooperation in the administration’s warrantless surveillance program.
The House bill would place more restrictions on the government’s spying powers and would not grant retroactive immunity. House and Senate aides began negotiating this week over a final version, in anticipation of the Senate bill’s passage.
House Intelligence Chairman Silvestre Reyes , D-Texas, said Thursday that the topic of immunity has not been discussed yet because key House members only recently received access to legal documents from the administration that selected senators saw last year.
Comments
If they pass the Senate version with telecom immunity, we should immediately start planning expunging these enablers on their next term elections.
Agreed, JAG.. what is wrong with these Democratic enablers? Have they read the Constitution? Have they heard of being the "opposition" party, not the "enabling" party? They MUST be voted out.
This FISA vote should be a pretty good indicator of just how much we can trust Obama and Clinton. And not voting at all will not excuse them.
When I saw the headline I began mentally ticking off a list of Constitutional issues where Pelosi and Reid have been on the wrong side. Bush "enablers" is the polite word for them. So I'm not in either of their states. I suppose I could write to my own congress critters and complain, but is there a way to work within the party machinery to start a movement to replace these morons? Or is the Dem party just a hopelessly rigged game like the rest of it? -Wexler
If the enablers refuse to leave, they must be escorted from the premises.
For those who missed the Germany of the 1930's, this attempt to continue shredding our Constitution by the enablers in our Congress, is history repeating itself. But who will invade America to restore its democracy?
Money says that if a new domestic spying allowance law is not passed to Bush's liking, and the old law expires, that Bush will orchestrate another contrived terrorist attack, and blame it on the demos.
I agree that there are too many "Republican Lite" Dems in the House and Senate. Other than Rep Kucinich, Sen Feingold and a few other progressive real Dems, the majority of the Dems drink from the same trough as the Republicans Kucinich should be the speaker of the house and Feingold should be Senate Majority Leader.
POST A COMMENT
Oops! The following errors must be addressed: