Dewine (R Ohio) to introduce NSA whitewash bill. Hearings to be canceled?

[farmbo]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/14/AR2006021401812.html

Senate intelligence committee member Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) said in an interview that he supports the NSA program and would oppose a congressional investigation. He said he is drafting legislation that would "specifically authorize this program" by excluding it from the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which established a secret court to consider government requests for wiretap warrants in anti-terrorist investigations.
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Dewine's bill will:

1.Maintain the curtain of secrecy over the NSA Domestic spying program as it has operated since Feb 2001;

2. Set up a fig leaf of congressional "authorization" for Bush's current program;

3. Eliminate any input from the Judicial Branch of government by exempting Bush from the 1978 FISA Act

4. (And most important) Kill the currently scheduled bipartisan Senate inquiry, allowing the Rove to craft the 2006 campaign around their so-called "Terrorist Surveillance Program".


Any guesses why the diminutive Dewine has changed his tune on domestic spying?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/02/06/rove-threatens-republican_n_15216.html

The White House has been twisting arms to ensure that no Republican member votes against President Bush in the Senate Judiciary Committee's investigation of the administration's unauthorized wiretapping.

Congressional sources said Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove has threatened to blacklist any Republican who votes against the president. The sources said the blacklist would mean a halt in any White House political or financial support of senators running for re-election in November.
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Profiles in Courage, Republican Style.

:sarcasm:

Can we stop with the circular firing squad in the Brown/Hackett mess and set about the business of getting Dewine unelected?

Please