Bush Presses House On Eavesdropping Bill

(AP)  President Bush appealed to the Democratic-controlled House for swift passage Saturday of legislation that would expand the government's powers to eavesdrop on suspected foreign terrorists.

"Protecting America is our most solemn obligation and I urge the House to pass this bill without delay," Mr. Bush said in a statement released as the president flew to Minneapolis to view the collapsed highway bridge.

Senate Democrats reluctantly agreed to passing a bill Friday night that would update the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA. The House planned to consider the measure Saturday after rejecting a Democratic alternative.

Mr. Bush is demanding passage before Congress' planned summer vacation, scheduled to begin this weekend.

The president praised senators for acting "to give our intelligence professionals the legal tools and authority they need to keep America safe. I appreciate the hard work they did to find common ground to pass this critical bill. Today, the House of Representatives has an opportunity to consider that bill, pass it and send it to me for my signature."

At issue is how early a special court would review the government's surveillance of foreigners' overseas phone calls and Internet messages without warrants.

The Senate-approved plan, largely developed by the White House, barely made it through after Mr. Bush promised to veto a stricter proposal that would have required a court review to begin within 10 days. The measure that passed would give Mr. Bush the expanded eavesdropping authority for six months.

Senate Republicans, aided by the national intelligence director, Mike McConnell, said the update to the 1978 surveillance law would at least temporarily close national security gaps.

"Al Qaeda is not going on vacation this month," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. "And we can't either until we know we've done our duty to the American people."

House Democrats lost an effort to push a proposal that called for stricter court oversight of the way the government would ensure its spying would not target Americans.

"We can have security and our civil liberties," said Rep. John Tierney, D-Mass.

Current law requires court review of government surveillance of suspected terrorists in the United States. It does not specifically address the government's ability to intercept messages believed to come from foreigners overseas.

The administration began pressing for changes to the law after a recent ruling by the special FISA court. That decision barred the government from eavesdropping on foreign suspects whose messages were being routed through U.S. communications carriers, including Internet sites.

Democrats agreed the law should not restrict U.S. spies from tapping in on foreign suspects. But they initially demanded that the court review the eavesdropping process before it began, to ensure that Americans are not targeted.

Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., chastised his colleagues for bending to the administration's will.

"The day we start deferring to someone who's not a member of this body ... is a sad day for the U.S. Senate," Feingold said.

[harp1963]

We can only hope somebody high up in the government will use this to eavesdrop on Bush and Cheney talking freely about how they funneled billions of dollars to their buddies at Bechtel and Halliburton with unbid government contracts and the dumb sheep couldn't do a d a m n thing about it. Wouldn't that be great, to catch these two with their own eavesdropping law. How sweet it would be. We can only hope.

[formrusmcsgt]

Personanlly I and my husband having nothing to hide. But if they want to listen...well they get what they hear.

A miltary wife.
Posted by Jonesforch at 11:11 PM : Aug 04, 2007

It's not about what you may or may not have to hide, it's about their right to be privy to people's private conversations...

[jonesforch]

Personanlly I and my husband having nothing to hide. But if they want to listen...well they get what they hear.

A miltary wife.

[tuckerndfw]

All legislation can be overturned, tuck. I do agree with your statement but do not think it will survive Bush's presidency.

Posted by formrusmcsgt at 10:25 PM : Aug 04, 2007

If I recall correctly, it expires in six months, so it is self-cancelling.

The "darkness" to which I refer is the fact Congress even considered its passage in the first place. Congress demonstrated the US Constitution is of no concern to them.

And, as I said before, the NSA and many other government agencies of many nations already monitor all "global communications" so this bill is irrelevant in regards to any concerns I may have about government agents spying on people.

The only thing accomplished by this bill was to give approval to Bush's prior criminal misconduct.

[tuckerndfw]

If people are dying from cholera, etc., they aren't going to care much who's running things, in my opinion.

Posted by formrusmcsgt at 10:22 PM : Aug 04, 2007

As I said before, hypotheticals are easier to articulate than to implement.

But, if you had a foreign occupier dominating a community and relying on its resources, I would not hesitate to disrupt those resources, regardless how many "civilians" were affected.

We call them "collateral damage" so we can ignore the fact they are innocent men, women and children.

[formrusmcsgt]

Congress has just given the president and attorney general unlimited authority to spy on whomever they so choose.

This is a very dark day for America.

Democrats are no different than Republicans. They are equally traitorous.

It should be noted that Zimbabwe also passed similar legislation this day.
Posted by tuckerndfw at 10:21 PM : Aug 04, 2007

All legislation can be overturned, tuck. I do agree with your statement but do not think it will survive Bush's presidency.

[formrusmcsgt]

I would not intentionally deprive people of necessaries unless it served some greater purpose.

Posted by tuckerndfw at 10:17 PM : Aug 04, 2007

I fail to see how the deprivation of safe water and the epidemic of disease that such would precipitate could further a repulsion of invading troops.


If people are dying from cholera, etc., they aren't going to care much who's running things, in my opinion.

[tuckerndfw]

Congress has just given the president and attorney general unlimited authority to spy on whomever they so choose.

This is a very dark day for America.

Democrats are no different than Republicans. They are equally traitorous.

It should be noted that Zimbabwe also passed similar legislation this day.

[formrusmcsgt]

It's a weakness of the system. One which both parties exploit.
Posted by tuckerndfw at 10:13 PM : Aug 04, 2007

Agreed. However, the weakness continues because, traditionally, Independents have not had a majority behind them and have been viewed as longshots.

We get to 50% and that changes, bro.

[tuckerndfw]

But in this instance, I will. Utilities and water supplies are a requirement for health. Punishing the loyal is not an ethical approach to war in my view.

That said, anything used by invaders for command and control purposes would definitely be on my list.

Posted by formrusmcsgt at 10:11 PM : Aug 04, 2007

Hypotheticals are always easier to articulate than to implement.

I would not intentionally deprive people of necessaries unless it served some greater purpose.

In other words, I would not travel to rural America and blow up a utility for no reason other than because I could.

But, at the same, if it appeared to be necessary to deprive people, I wouldn't hesitate to do so.