http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20070227-1306-congress-security.html....Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky had reached a tentative agreement Tuesday to conduct the debate over the next 10 days without the distraction of Iraq.
The sense of urgency on the 9/11 recommendations was conveyed to both leaders in a letter Tuesday from families of those killed in the terrorist attacks on that day in 2001.
“This legislation is far too important to be politicized by ... controversial amendments and debate, particularly those relating to Iraq,” wrote Carol Ashley and Mary Fetchet of the Voices of September 11th.
Reid and McConnell said the Iraq debate would wait for next month, after passage of the 9/11 bill. The arrangement would allow the Senate to debate legislation bolstering antiterrorism security measures on railroads and airlines without being distracted by the furor over President Bush's buildup of troops in Iraq.
“We have got to finish this bill,” Reid, D-Nev., said as he opened the Senate session. He read parts of a letter from relatives of people killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks asking the Senate to consider the legislation “without complications regarding Iraq.”
Even minus an Iraq debate, provisions in the antiterrorism bill or planned amendments make the legislation contentious.
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