Bush jawbones Democrats on surveillance

[TechBear_Seattle]

Bush jawbones Democrats on surveillance

WASHINGTON - President Bush said Friday that Congress must stay in session until it approves legislation modernizing a U.S. law governing eavesdropping on foreigners.

"So far the Democrats in Congress have not drafted a bill I can sign," Bush said at FBI headquarters, where he was meeting with counterterror and homeland security officials. "We've worked hard and in good faith with the Democrats to find a solution, but we are not going to put our national security at risk. Time is short."

The president said lawmakers cannot leave for their August recess this weekend as planned unless they "pass a bill that will give our intelligence community the tools they need to protect the United States."

Bush has the authority under the Constitution to call Congress back into session once it has recessed or adjourned, but White House spokeswoman Dana Perrino said talk of him doing that is premature.

The article continues at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070803/ap_on_go_pr_wh/terrorism_surveillance

How nice to see * return to his Bible-based roots: "And he found a fresh jawbone of an ass, and put out his hand and seized it, and with it he slew a thousand men. And Samson said, 'With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of an ass have I slain a thousand men.' (Judges 15:15-16)"

Well, the "ass" part is correct, but I think the death toll is closer to 4000 than 1000.