WOW! Bush won't let spies spy unless his buddies in crime get off scott-free.
Isn't this arm twisting usually called extortion?
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Electronic Surveillance Bill Held Up in Senate
CQPolitics.com, DC - 4 hours ago -
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=cqmidday-000002666107Minority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky., said Senate Republicans will not agree to move forward on the FISA rewrite until Reid gives them a chance to offer ...
Feb. 5, 2008 – 2:05 p.m.
Electronic Surveillance Bill Held Up in Senate
Legislation to overhaul the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act remained stalled in the Senate Tuesday, held hostage by partisan wrangling over procedures for consideration of an unrelated economic stimulus package.
A frustrated Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., complained that Republicans are blocking his efforts to schedule votes on proposed amendments to the FISA bill. A temporary extension of the electronic surveillance law is in force until Feb. 16, and the White House insisted that Congress complete the more lasting overhaul by then. ......
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FISA Fight Heats Up in Senate -
http://www.ombwatch.org/article/articleview/4155/1/1?TopicID=1The Senate is continuing its debate on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). On Jan. 31, President Bush signed a 15-day extension of the Protect America Act (PAA) to allow the Senate to further debate and vote on a modified extension of PAA. A provision providing immunity to telecommunications companies remains a contentious issue.
On Aug. 6, 2007, Bush signed the Protect America Act of 2007 (PAA), granting the government the authority to wiretap anyone, including U.S. citizens, without any court approval as long as the "target" of the surveillance is located outside the U.S.
In October 2007, in response to concerns about the overly broad authorities of the PAA, the Senate Intelligence Committee passed the FISA Amendments Act of 2007 (S. 2248), which included provisions ....
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Who’s Listening to Your Phone Call?
A senator explains the case against the Protect America Act.
By Seth Colter Walls | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Feb 4, 2008 | Updated: 12:51 p.m. ET Feb 4, 2008 -
http://www.newsweek.com/id/107851With presidential campaigns dominating the attention of most politicos, a key fight in Congress is going practically unnoticed. The debate contains all the sex appeal of court jurisdiction, statutory language, and acronym upon acronym, so it's easy to understand how it's been crowded out of the headlines. But the fight focuses on an issue that's been at the heart of American politics since 9/11: the collision between the desire to fight terrorists and the principles of civil liberties and judicial review.
At issue is the proposed extension of the Protect America Act (PAA), passed six months ago, after the Bush administration was discovered to have been conducting warrantless wiretaps. .........
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President Threatens Veto For Surveillance Bills
Associated Press February 5, 2008 3:27 p.m. -
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120224048307444923.html?mod=googlenews_wsjWASHINGTON -- President Bush issued a veto threat Tuesday in the debate to update terrorist surveillance laws, rebuking Democratic plans to deny retroactive legal protections for telecommunications providers that let the government spy on U.S. residents after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The threat came in a 12-page letter to Senate leaders from Attorney General Michael Mukasey and National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell. It was issued as lawmakers prepare to vote on legislation seeking to update a 1978 surveillance law without violating privacy rights.
"If the president is sent a bill that does not provide the U.S. intelligence agencies the tools they need to protect the nation, the president will veto the bill," wrote Messrs. Mukasey and McConnell.
The letter sent to Senate leaders and the top Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence committees. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) didn't have an immediate comment. ........
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Veto Threat for Proposed Spy Laws
By LARA JAKES JORDAN -
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2008/02/05/ap/washington/d8ukaldo0.txtTuesday, February 5, 2008 11:45 AM MST
WASHINGTON - President Bush will veto terrorist surveillance legislation pushed by Senate Democrats that doesn't give retroactive legal protections to telecommunication providers who let the government spy on e-mails and phone calls involving people in the U.S., officials said Tuesday.
The veto threat, detailed in a 12-page letter from Attorney General Michael Mukasey and National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell, was sent to the Senate as lawmakers grapple with how to update a 1978 surveillance law without violating privacy rights.
"If the president is sent a bill that does not provide the U.S. intelligence agencies the tools they need to protect the nation, the president will veto the bill," Mukasey and McConnell wrote in the letter. It was sent to Senate leaders and the top Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence committees.
The warning was aimed at legislative amendments that deny the retroactive immunity to phone companies and other telecom providers. Mukasey and McConnell indicated they would support the overall bill, which was approved by the Senate intelligence committee and provides the legal shields, if the amendments were dropped. .............
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