Leahy (D-VT) scuttles his warrantless e-mail surveillance bill

[Omaha Steve]

Source: C/NET

After public criticism of proposal that lets government agencies warrantlessly access Americans' e-mail, Sen. Patrick Leahy says he will "not support" such an idea at next week's vote.

by Declan McCullagh

Sen. Patrick Leahy has abandoned his controversial proposal that would grant government agencies more surveillance power -- including warrantless access to Americans' e-mail accounts -- than they possess under current law.

The Vermont Democrat said today on Twitter that he would "not support such an exception" for warrantless access. The remarks came a few hours after a CNET article was published this morning that disclosed the existence of the measure.

A vote on the proposal in the Senate Judiciary committee, which Leahy chairs, is scheduled for next Thursday. The amendments were due to be glued onto a substitute (PDF) to H.R. 2471, which the House of Representatives already has approved.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57552687-38/leahy-scuttles-his-warrantless-e-mail-surveillance-bill/

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Sen. Patrick Leahy won't support warrantless e-mail access, although an aide said only broad exceptions were off the table.
(Credit: U.S. Senate)

[msongs]

1. it's the first step to ditching the police state nt

[PuffedMica]

8. Let's make it a step toward ditching the Patriot Act

The sooner we get rid of Bush's legacy, the better.

[democrattotheend]

2. I don't know why he ever supported it

He has always been a strong voice on civil liberties issues. This was completely out of character for him.

That said, it's nice that he listened to his constituents and others who expressed concern.

[KoKo]

3. If you were here in early DU Days...he was a Hero to us...but, he turned ...time and time

again. It was as if he got bought out or something.

I was shocked, though when I heard he was was supporting the NDAA for another round.

Why he backed off would be important to know.

He's turned out to be bought like the rest, imho. But, this is another "turn" by him...which is why (as lovely a person he seems to be) I do not trust him. Levin is another one we thought was a Saint way back in the early 2000's. Turns out he's far from it.

Both are Democrats that we trusted not to turn on us like Lieberman...but so many times they have done just that.

[Daniel537]

9. I stopped trusting anybody up on DC a long time ago.

Even people who you might think would always be on our side, always have some blotch on their record. What we have to do is hold their feet to the fire, not give them any kind of unconditional support.

[sabrina 1]

4. Wow, that is so disappointing, he was one of the people I used to have

the most respect for as he stood up against Bush's anti-Constitutional policies. I wondered what happened to him over the past few years. He was so publicly anti-Bush during the Bush years that he evoked the 'go Cheney yourself' attack from arch traitor, Dick Cheney.

I am truly sad to see him pushing that kind of Bush policy. What happened to him? He wrote one of the most moving speeches about torture airc after the revelations of Abu Ghraib.

Is there something in the water in DC?

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. I think there is something in the banks, in DC.

Leahy must be featehring his nest egg, getting ready for retirement.

[OnyxCollie]

6. I thought Leahy was dead.

Or had become invisible.

Either way, the guy who was a champion for Fourth Amendment protections during Bush's reign of domestic surveillance disappeared once Obama was elected.

Fucking turncoat.

[sabrina 1]

7. I was just thinking about him the other day and wondering what

happened to his committees on restoring Habeas Corpus. And remembering his moving speech on Torture after Abu Ghraib.

As you said, he suddenly went silent and the Committees apparently disappeared after Dems took over the WH and Congress. If someone had told me that winning would mean the end of all those hopeful signs we saw when Bush was president and we could not wait to win, I would not have believed it.

No wonder people become so cynical about politics. You can't trust any politician, is the lesson I am learning over the past several years.

[KoKo]

10. I remember when Sheldon Whitehouse was celebrated as a new, powerful Liberal Voice in the Senate...

We were so excited when he was elected.

At that time we hare on DU were glued to C-Span watching and commenting.

Sheldon had the fire taken out of him by Leahy. There was a press conference over some bill or something that we on the Left really cared about...and Leahy took over explaining why the Dems caved on it...and I saw Sheldon's face and the angst there. It was like he KNEW that he was corrupted standing up there with Leahy. There's more that I watched seeing what happened to Whithouse...but much of it's down the memory hole and I'd have to Google to refresh my memory and no one here cares about that "old stuff caving of Dems" anymore. So, I won't bother.

[KoKo]

11. yeah...he just as well be dead. Not seen or heard from in years...n/t