Activists See Senate Dems Backing Down To Bush, Ready To Give Immunity To Phone Companies - RawStory

[WillyT]

<snip>

As lawmakers hurry to clear their legislative plates before rushing home for Christmas dinner, it appears all-but-certain that Congress will not finish work to update a foreign spy law before the new year.

But votes expected this week and next in the Senate have civil libertarians worried about their prospects to block a proposal that would free telecommunications companies from legal oversight of their facilitation of President Bush's post-9/11 warrantless wiretapping scheme.

As the timeline appears to be shaking out, Democrats seem headed for an 11th-hour showdown with the White House over updates to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. In a similar showdown this summer, Republicans said a failure to act on FISA would endanger the country. On its way out the door for summer vacation, Congress passed a temporary update to the law that was widely panned for its lack of judicial oversight and constitutional protections.

Although Democrats succeeded in keeping telecom immunity out of the August bill, it seems likely to worm its way into this latest version, at least in the Senate, despite voracious opposition from prominent Democrats there, including all the party's presidential candidates.

"People who had some faith that were going to live up to their campaign promises are a little disappointed," Caroline Fredrickson, the top Washington lobbyist for the American Civil Liberties Union, told RAW STORY Friday.

<snip>

Link: http://rawstory.com/news/2007/President_unlikely_to_see_wiretap_bill_1213.html

Well... we'll know soon enough, eh?

:banghead:

[sendero]

1. Any minute now..

.... I'm expecting all the (in your best whiny-ass voice) "why is there all this Dem bashing going on at DU?" posts to pop up any minute.

If you still need an answer to that question, you are a fucking moron.

[fascisthunter]

7. Exactly.... (nt)

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

2. ugh

:banghead:

[HeraldSquare212]

3. Truth and Reconciliation Commission

If they get immunity, it better come along with a complete investigation and disclosure of everthing they did, with the telcos cooperation. There are going to be many more issues like this once the Bush years are over, and there must at least be full disclosure of everything that happened.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. Water is wet. Democrats cave. Kind of like predeicting sunny weather in the Sahara.

[sellitman]

5. Make them pay at the polls.

They cave in because there are no consequences.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. I have no problem in doing so.