Thank you for contacting me regarding the Protect America Act of 2007 (S. 1927). I appreciate hearing from you, and I welcome the chance to respond.

On August 1, 2007, I was faced with a stark reality: the Director of National Intelligence sent a letter warning the Senate of the heightened threat of international terrorism, and urging us to modernize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) before the August recess “to ensure that we do not have critical gaps in our ability to provide warnings of threats to the country”. The call to quickly revise FISA in order to reflect developments in telecommunications technology was echoed by four Democratic members of the Senate Intelligence Committee. I chose to heed these urgent warnings.

I voted for two measures to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. I preferred the legislation offered by Senators Rockefeller and Levin; however, it failed to gather the 60 votes needed to pass. I also voted for the Bond-McConnell version, which did receive enough votes to pass. Corresponding legislation was later approved by the House of Representatives, and the President quickly signed the bill into law.

It is important to recognize that this legislation is a temporary fix to provide our intelligence community with the most immediate tools needed to protect our country – it will be in place for only six months, and it cannot be renewed before it is thoroughly reviewed and authorized by Congress. This gives us six months to create a more acceptable permanent intelligence collection process that that allows us to effectively monitor terrorist communications overseas while also protecting the privacy of law-abiding American citizens. I can assure you I will be one of the Senators working hard to re-establish the constitutional protections that have been eroded by this President and this temporary FISA legislation.

Again, thank you for taking the time to share your concerns with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any further assistance.

All best,

Senator Claire McCaskill

Why confidential? If your not doing anything wrong you should have nothing to hide.

"Ledeen did answer your question. Selling arms to Iran was worse than a crime (which would require intent), it was a blunder. They meant to sell arms to Iraq, but they screwed up, and by the time they realized their mistake, they'd lost the receipt."

If Read forced an actual fillabuster ,one that involved actual endless debate, the senate would not be able to get any work done. Just think off all the important work they have gotten done...like fundind the war.

I think they can. In fact I know they can because my brother (a republican) has done that.

I was starting to think I was the only person in America that was questioning the idea of state issued marraige liscences. It's really not the governments business.

Didn't Powell go to the UN with a vial of anthrax that was proof positive Iraq had a bioweapons program?

but if you have closed on a mortgage and it is a fixed rate at 6% it cannot be taken away or forced to renegotiate unless you start missing payment. If a bond holder needs to liquidate, they have to sell the bonds at a loss.

free speetch will be protected with Hillary in office.

We can turn Detroit into a giant prision. It will be like a Kirk Douglas movie.

but everything I have heard Pat Buchanon say (just in the last year), has been right. What is world comming to?

Newt Gingritch (also an SP) is also consistent, and way to the left of the republican party as a whole.

It has nothing to do with interventionism? I am not so sure about that.

engeneering a plant that can be grown offshore. Like an underwater weed. That way it doesn't take up any farmland.

used to say that the stock market has predicted 10 of the last 5 rescessions. It is not a prefect guide.

with the story Romance of the Three Kingdoms? It seems like private armies may not be such a good thing.

in congress point out that it is (I am serious here) very insulting to the US millitary personell to equate them with mercs? The hearing was about Blackwater, they are people that fight and kill for money. That's yery different from some kid that wants to serve his/her country.

That would be our overflowing prision system.

have been up for five or six years now. If you expreience year after year of double digit growth, this is not really a suprise or a bad thing, unless you are one of the people actually giong through foreclosure. The result of this bubble in the long run will be positive. This is not a case of glass half full V. half empty. The glass is 7/8 full.

was he in Washington or Illinoise? I think Illinoise, give hime a few years in Washington and see what happens.

There not even trying anymore.

and lately, everyother week we get an email from countrywide telling us how secure they are. Every time I get one it makes me think they are considering bankrupsy.

it is a bad idea let let someone raise an good size millitary force not loyal to a government. I write this thinking that there are 20 centuries or so of examples as to why this is a problem.

Durring WWII the troops were deployed for years at a time.

The whole idea behind democracy is that if everyone is looking out for their own best interest, then we get a government that will follow policies that benefit the majority. Where do ideal of the nation come into play?

politician prey too? Some sort of a demoic figure, or themselves?

Some of them would. Are the Palestinians Suni, Shia or someing else?

the most intelegent thing I have ever seen on the internet. Thank you Tim.

Let Isreal move into the Russian sphere of influence. They can fund Isreals defence and they can deal with the fall out.

Gore V Gingrich