FISA UPDATE!!!!! House stands up to Bush pressure for quick wiretap bill

[IndieLeft]

A move to temporarily extend a controversial spy law hit a snag Wednesday, as the House voted to debate for three more weeks while failing to concurrently pass a temporary extension of a stop-gap measure.

The president has vowed to veto any legislation updating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that does not essentially retroactively legalize his warrantless surveillance program and free phone companies from facing lawsuits.

The bill faces stiff opposition from some Democrats in the House, particularly as it offers blanket legal immunity to telecommunications companies for possible violations of US law if they participate in the measures.

By a vote of 206 to 199 votes, the House agreed Wednesday to prolong its debate for three more weeks. But a bill to extend the Protect America Act, a temporary law that temporarily expands the government's surveillance powers failed 229-191.

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Bush_I_will_not_accept_any_0213.html

[annabanana]

1. Me Likee!. . . n/t

[VP505]

2. Me too

but we know what * will do, cause we don't need no stinking extensions.

[marmar]

3. It's rare that I say kudos to our House of Representatives....

.... but kudos for having the pair that the Senate lacks.

[seemslikeadream]

4. I can dance to that

[Hepburn]

5. 5th rec....

...off to the Greatest Page with you!

[99th_Monkey]

6. Make that 6 recs - Real Dems forcing Bush to show his sorry ass yet again..

always makes me smile ;-)

[quakerboy]

7. Im starting to

get a little shell shocked. this is good, but how long can it last?

[IndieLeft]

11. not too long.... they're caving on net neutrality

[gateley]

8. So could somebody please explain to me what failed in the Senate yesterday?

Is there no end to the FISA crap? I'm sooooo confused! Thanks!!

[sloppyjoe25s]

10. no margin

and chicken sh&t senators afraid to look "weak on terror"

politics of fear and division - heeding Bush's bully pulpit - though you would think as lame duck as he is they could ignore him.

[sloppyjoe25s]

9. Thank God we have a reasonable Margin in the house

not enough, but better than the senate

[trashcanistanista]

12. It's hinging on the House right now.

The immunity removal part failed in the Senate ammendment after ammendment and the final bill passed in the Senate with retroactive immunity.