Hoyer postpones FISA bill roll-out scheduled for today.

[madfloridian]

ACLU, Open Left, and other progressive sites have been right on top of this issue.

Hoyer Postpones FISA Roll-out

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the House Majority Leader, postponed a press conference announcing new reforms of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act after progressive lawmakers banded together and said they would fight any legislation that did not include a set of eight principles on wiretapping that preserve the "rule of law."
"What's most significant is that the Progressive Caucus came together and said to the leadership that all 72 of us require that these provisions be included," said Caroline Fredercikson, Legislative Director for the American Civil Liberties Union. "This changes the dynamic significantly."

Rep. Hoyer had planned to roll out the new FISA reform bill at 1:30 PM today. A spokesperson from his office told the Huffington Post that the House Intelligence Committee had decided to postpone completion of the legislation, though it's not clear that the letter from the Progressive Caucus influenced their decision. Votes in the House were also canceled today. The committee was not available at press time.

The ACLU said it had not been briefed on the nature of the reforms that the Democratic leadership was preparing to get behind.

More on the actions urged by the ACLU in this post. They are truly staying on top of this situation.

ACLU: Critical votes within 3 weeks could grant vast new spying powers to Bush

The ACLU’s Don’t Wait for ’08 campaign — a 100-day effort urging Congress to restore liberties lost during the relentless Bush assault on our rights — is at a critical “make-or-break” point with FISA votes coming as early as next week. Unbelievably, there’s a push to make permanent the vast new spying powers that Congress gave to the President for a six-month period that ends in February, 2008.

Help us continue the FISA Flood of 2007 by overwhelming Congress with your voice demanding immediate action to defend freedom. Write. Call. Demand Action. Make noise now before our rights are stripped away permanently.

Contact info for congress at the link.

I do not understand our Democrats' obsession with giving Little Boots so much power and taking it away from the FISA courts. It just does not make sense.

[redqueen]

1. It does if you take into consideration...

that there is maaaaybe just a *little* complicity in ushering in a new era of fascism.


That said, this is great news... thank goodness there are still progressive Dems left in the party.

[Greeby]

2. "our Democrats"?

Would help if Hoyer was a Democrat. Having a "D" after your name just doesn't cut it