Newsweek: Bush admin hoping wiretapping reversal will get critics off their backs

[sabra]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16689462/site/newsweek/page/2/

<snip>

However, a law-enforcement official familiar with the issue indicated that investigators seeking to monitor a suspected Al Qaeda message will now have to demonstrate to a foreign-intelligence-court judge that there is “probable cause” to believe that one of the parties to the message is connected to Al Qaeda. The official indicated that it might be possible, under the new setup, for authorities to eavesdrop first and seek permission later, if time is critical. That isn’t new. The existing Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act allows law enforcement or intelligence officials to conduct emergency surveillances without advance court permission provided that a court order legalizing the monitoring is obtained within a few days. Administration officials indicated they still are likely to ask Congress for possible changes to the current FISA law so that it is easier to get permission to conduct emergency eavesdropping.

The court order could remove a major point of friction between the White House and Capitol Hill on intelligence issues. In the last few weeks, congressional leaders have indicated that NSA warrantless surveillance ranked high among their investigative priorities, along with interrogation and detention practices used by the CIA and other antiterror agencies. Some on Capitol Hill still intend to do just that. In a written statement, new Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller questioned why the administration did not seek court approval from the outset for its anti-Al Qaeda monitoring program. Now that he has more power to extract those answers, he’s not about to drop the issue quietly.

[november3rd]

1. Ha ha ha ha ha

Now I've heard everything. They think the American people are just as slimy weasels as they are! I hope they get investigated for the calls they spied on, have all the records subpoenaed and opened in front of the American people on CSPAN so that the world can see just who they were REALLY spying on--and why.

I hope the Senate Intelligence Committee indicts everybody in BushCo and instead of covering their asses in Iraq, they can follow Scooter into the courtroom and sing.

[AzDar]

2. They are just like three-year-olds: 'I stole the candy bar, but I put it back, so it doesn't count

right?' Riiiiight.

[LSparkle]

3. Glad Rockefeller isn't letting this go

Hillbilly Heroin Boy this morning was wondering if this wasn't a "win" for the White Haus ... Not so fast, fat boy!

[dicknbush]

4. I wouldn't trust these guys about anything they say.

They may say they are going to submit to FISA court but I would bet anything that they find some way of doing it without going to the court. Just look at what is ahppening with the Attorneys being replaced. Now who would have thought to have that obscure little item injected at the last minute into the Patriot act? I know that Specter is the one who did it but who told him to do it? There is some little thing floating out there that these guys already have in their back pocket that will let them skirt the court under some wierd laq somewhere count on it.