US: Soldiers Case Shows (surveillance) Law Needs Fixing - AP

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Source: Associated Press

US: Soldiers Case Shows Law Needs Fixing

By KATHERINE SHRADER
Friday, August 3, 2007; 11:11 AM

WASHINGTON -- When three soldiers were abducted in Iraq in
mid-May, U.S. government lawyers began drafting emergency
warrants to try to monitor communications that could lead to
the suspected captors.

The Bush administration and its allies, The Associated Press has
learned, have argued that the legal work ate up precious hours
because of an odd twist to a U.S. surveillance law. One of the
soldiers was later found dead in the Euphrates River, and an
al-Qaida offshoot has said the others are dead as well.

-snip-

Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., an intelligence committee member,
wouldn't confirm the account concerning the soldiers. But she
did say that classified examples exist _ documents which make a
compelling case for changing the law. "We are putting ourselves
through all kinds of contortions, when we are sitting on the
infrastructure," she said.

Other officials dispute suggestions that the surveillance law
would have hampered the search for the soldiers.

-snip-

Tierney thinks the problem is with the bureaucracy, not the law.
He said the surveillance act makes clear that a warrant is not
required to eavesdrop on foreign targets who are overseas, even
if their communications cross into a U.S. network. But he and
other Democrats are open to clarifying the confusion.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/03/AR2007080300765.html