Rockefeller re FISA: he can help House Democrats understand how far the White House is willing to go

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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120451119707106821.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

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Instead of battling, Sen. Rockefeller decided it was more productive to join forces, his aides said. He agreed with the administration that a new surveillance law should give phone companies some type of immunity from lawsuits because they participated in "good faith." Critics have drawn links between his support for immunity and $68,000 in recent contributions to Sen. Rockefeller's 2008 re-election campaign from AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc., but the senator's aides deny any connection.

By November, Sen. Rockefeller's committee had a proposal that both parties and the White House could agree upon. The Senate overwhelmingly approved the measure Feb. 13. The temporary law expired Feb. 16.

Now comes the hard part. The House approved its bill in November and it differed with the Senate bill in two critical ways: It required more judicial oversight and didn't grant immunity to phone companies.

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Aides to Sen. Rockefeller said he is committed to his bill and that he can help House Democrats understand how far the White House is willing to go. House Democrats, for their part, say they hope "he'll push on the Republicans and on the White House as hard as he pushed on Democrats," a Democratic congressional aide said.