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Senate Lap Dogs Propose Gutting of FISA and Oversight

By TChris, Section Legislation
Posted on Thu Mar 09, 2006 at 08:26:53 AM EST
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by TChris

Republicans are packaging as "reform" a plan that would gut FISA, leaving the president free to spy on Americans without obtaining a warrant. A NY Times editorial expresses appropriate outrage at this cynical ploy to shield the president's lawless behavior:

Faced with a president who is almost certainly breaking the law, the Senate sets up a panel to watch him do it and calls that control. ... The Republicans' idea of supervision involves saying the White House should get a warrant for spying whenever possible. Currently a warrant is needed, period. And that's the right law. The White House has not offered a scrap of evidence that it interferes with antiterrorist operations. Mr. Bush simply decided the law did not apply to him.

The Times reports that the deal, negotiated with the White House, "left Senate Democrats fuming on the sidelines." The Times also reports that the proposal is "likely to win approval from the full Senate." Isn't it time for spineless Democrats to stop fuming and start filibustering?

There are moments when leaders simply have to take a stand. It seems to us that one of them is when Americans are in danger of the kind of unchecked surveillance that they thought had died with J. Edgar Hoover, Watergate and spying on Vietnam protesters and civil rights leaders.

Sen. Rockefeller angered Sen. Roberts, who chairs the Intelligence Committee, by stating the obvious: Republicans on the Committee are "under the control" of the White House. Roberts responded indignantly, saying he resented being called "a lap dog of the administration." When a senator yips like a dog and cuddles up to the president like a dog ...

It was no surprise that Mr. Roberts led this retreat. He's been blocking an investigation into the domestic spying operation for weeks, just as he has been stonewalling a promised investigation into how the White House hyped the intelligence on Iraq.

Investigate the president's wrongdoing? Of course not.

[Sen.] DeWine said he did not expect the subcommittee to investigate the last four years of the program's operations, saying the panel needed to be "moving forward."

Funny how the Republicans weren't interested in "moving forward" after Clinton admitted his transgression with Monica. Woof woof.

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    • Senate Lap Dogs Propose Gutting of FISA and Oversight | 2 comments (2 topical)
    Re: Senate Lap Dogs Propose Gutting of FISA and Ov (none / 0) (#1)
    by The Heretik on Thu Mar 09, 2006 at 08:37:02 AM EST
    T Chris, this is just one example of the bad faith involved in "oversight."

    Re: Senate Lap Dogs Propose Gutting of FISA and Ov (none / 0) (#2)
    by Steven Sanderson on Thu Mar 09, 2006 at 09:30:50 AM EST
    The history of the Republican party is rife with claims that anarchists, communists, the counter-culture, environmentalists, Lindsey Graham's fifth columnists, and others are actively trying to overthrow our government when, in reality, the biggest threat to our government is the Republicans themselves. The GOP is right (pun intended) about the enemy within.

    Senate Lap Dogs Propose Gutting of FISA and Oversight | 2 comments (2 topical)