Spy chief courts Blue Dogs for FISA law overhaul

[rodeodance]

Source: TheHill




Spy chief courts Blue Dogs for FISA law overhaul
By Susan Crabtree
August 02, 2007

Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Michael McConnell has quietly courted key members of the House Blue Dog Coalition for a short-term fix for the administration’s foreign-intelligence surveillance program, putting additional
pressure on Democratic leaders to pass a bill before the end of the week.
.........
.......


Harman said that she has been privy to information about the increased terrorist “chatter” and believes there’s a real risk that terrorists could strike in this country in August, and that an overhaul of the bill could help the NSA deter it.

“The two of us became lead dogs on this,” Cramer said.

....

But Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) stressed that the sticking points remains over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which historically has been the sole authority for warrants for domestic foreign-intelligence gathering. He said Democrats want to ensure that the court remains involved in reviewing communications intercepts so that authority for approving wiretap and surveillance requests is not handed to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, as the administration would like............

Read more: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/spy-chief-courts-blue-dogs-for-fisa-law-overhaul-2007-08-02.html

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Pelosi and Reid (according to the article)-----have not scheduled a vote (yet).

[IndianaGreen]

1. They want to re-write the law to make legal what Bush has done illegally

Real progressives should be very reticent to give the federal government any more power. The federal government is approaching Stalinist levels of power!

[Lasher]

3. Didn't the GOP lapdog Congress do that in 2006?

I'm pretty sure the retroactive cover for NSA spying crimes was included in the PARTIOT Act reauthorization in March 2006.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. My guess is that they want to take it out of FISA's hands so that they

can continue to use it for partisan purposes.

[deacon]

4. Like the Military Commissions Act- make what i did legal FAST! n/t

[deacon]

5. ...and a recommend. n/t

[rodeodance]

6. this sudden push is so Repugs can go home and say they are strong on Terror