Reid considers extending Protect America Act for one month to buy more time

[babylonsister]

Reid considers extending Protect America Act for one month to buy more time
By Manu Raju | Posted: 12/18/07 5:20 PM
December 18, 2007


Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Tuesday he would seek to extend a controversial interim wiretapping bill through February to avoid the early presidential primary season.

Reid said Senate Democrats might have a better chance of resolving internal disputes and moving a rewrite of the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) once the early primaries have concluded.

Congress passed an interim measure in early August, the Protect America Act (PAA), that broadly expanded the government’s powers over foreign-intelligence surveillance within U.S. borders. The PAA sunsets on Feb. 1, and Democrats had hoped to pass a permanent bill that would update FISA while restoring much of the oversight over domestic eavesdropping back to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

Under Reid’s plan, the Senate would have enough breathing room to pass a compromise bill and reconcile any differences with the House, which has already passed a Democratic measure that would re-establish court oversight over the National Security Agency’s warrantless spying program. The Senate Intelligence Committee passed a bipartisan measure that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications firms, while the Judiciary panel passed a separate bill that is silent on immunity.

Reid said the Democratic nomination would likely be solidified by early February. After that, presidential politics would have less of an impact on the surveillance debate. The Democratic base is sharply critical of the PAA.

“By sometime early in February, the presidential nomination will likely be pretty well determined on the Democratic side, at least,” Reid said. “So I think, for all those reasons, it would be a good idea to extend it.”

Reid’s move to extend the debate is a signal that the Democratic legislative agenda will increasingly be shaped by the presidential campaign trail.

more...

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/reid-considers-extending-protect-america-act-for-one-month-to-buy-more-time-2007-12-18.html

[NC_Nurse]

1. The "Protect America Act"... of course....

like every other bullshit piece of legislation the * admin supports it has one of those 1984 names.
- "Clear Skies Intiative"
- "Operation Iraqi Freedom"
- "No Child Left Behind"

War is Peace
2+2=5




:eyes: