REID: Will NOT Attempt To Update FISA With Immunity -Instead Will Support 18 Month Extension

[kpete]

Wiretap Politics
January 11, 2008

Senator Chris Dodd's Presidential campaign died with a whimper in Iowa. But he still seems to be dictating national security policy to fellow Democrats on Capitol Hill, and unless the Bush Administration is willing to fight, perhaps to the next President too.

We're told that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is saying privately he now won't attempt to update the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) on the wiretapping of al Qaeda suspects. Instead, he'll merely support another 18-month extension of the six-month-old Protect America Act. Among other problems, the temporary bill includes no retroactive immunity for the telecom companies that cooperated with the feds after 9/11.



http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120001233310682537.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

[madokie]

1. I like the no immunity part

[rodeodance]

2. Umm... playing it safe?---they will be Branded the Do=nothing congress by Repugs/wh

[thereismore]

3. This is smart. By the time renewal comes again, the repugs won't be able to dictate anything. nt

[ursi]

4. And his son, Rory Reid - Borg campaign manager, is forcing us to take a

Borg suppository in Nevada. It's the Reid way or the highway out ...

[swag]

5. Top of the front page stuff. DODD WINS ON FISA!

Go Dodd! Go netroots!

[swag]

6. Fuckin' A. NO TELECOM IMMUNITY!

[dysfunctional press]

13. retroactive immunity is forbidden by the constitution.

that whole "no laws of ex-post facto" thing that the founders put in place.

[swag]

7. Some analysis at openleft

http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=1BF6ADCBB069CDD09F073BFA345AD694?diaryId=3192

[babylonsister]

8. Hmmm. So Reid doesn't have to show a spine, again. nt

[walldude]

9. He say whether or not he was going to get them paid?

:rofl: :rofl:

[creeksneakers2]

10. I was more concerned about protecting our rights

than what happened to the phone companies. There is some good here but not enough.

[swag]

11. At least the ACLU has a suit going to take care

of the rest of the job of restoring FISA.

i will certainly accept a victory of not letting lawbreaking telcos off the hook for spying on us illegally.

[MissWaverly]

12. Wasn't this the it's just temporary bill passed before vacation

looks permanent to me, 18 months just enough time to ensure no safeguards until Bush leaves office, safeguards, what do we need safeguards for anyway, esp. since the FEC is just an advisory board now anyway.

[Pastiche423]

14. Not acceptable

[swag]

16. Yes, it's not acceptable, but would you have preferred Reid's version prevail?

[Pastiche423]

17. WTF?

[swag]

18. Indeed, Harry Reid.

WTF?

.

[Pastiche423]

19. If you have something to say

then fucking say it.

My "unacceptable" meant SENATOR HARRY REID IS UNACCEPTABLE.

Now, will you kindly get off my ass? TYVFM.

[swag]

20. Thanks for explaining your post.

Excellent post.

[rockymountaindem]

15. So instead of going with the regular law, we get another 18 months of the same law

we all were freaking out about six months ago? See how they're moving the goalposts? This isn't good.