Letters to the Editor
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Couple senate statements of note
Leahy (today):
“I commend the House of Representatives for passing its amendment to the Senate’s FISA Amendments Act of 2007. It is a step forward, and a good bill. The Senate-passed legislation has a number of serious failings and does not adequately protect the privacy and civil liberties of Americans. The House bill adds several crucial protections without interfering in any way with this important new surveillance authority.
“For the last month, the House has worked with Democratic Senators, and House leaders have repeatedly sought to work with congressional Republicans and the administration to fashion reasonable compromise legislation. Unfortunately, congressional Republicans and the administration have refused to engage in meaningful discussions or negotiations about the legislation. The White House has tried, again, to treat Congress like a rubber stamp.
“I am glad that The House leadership understood that under our constitutional system of government, Congress writes legislation, and I applaud the House for its significant efforts to pass a good bill.”
Rockefeller (on the 11th):
“I have worked hard in recent weeks to reconcile the differences between the Senate and House FISA bills and produce legislation that strengthens intelligence collection against foreign terrorist targets and addresses liability protection for telecommunications companies. Regrettably, the Administration and Republicans chose to boycott these discussions and refused to play a constructive role in producing such a bill that could have strong bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House.
“Today’s House proposal reflects progress in bringing the two bills together, and it is a step in the right direction. But, considerable work remains.
“I continue to believe that the Senate FISA bill can be made even better through a limited number of changes, such as a shorter sunset, strengthened exclusivity, and improved accountability – modifications that in no way inhibit the collection authorities needed by the Intelligence Community.
"As soon as the House sends us this new bill, we will once again roll up our sleeves and get back to work on a final compromise that the House, Senate and White House can support."
Rockefeller might be softening on immunity. Or not. He calls the House bill "progress" which is interesting anyway.