Leahy: Intel Panel about to 'cave' on surveillance

[CTuttle]

Source: The Hill

Leahy: Intel panel about to ‘cave’ on surveillance
By Manu Raju
October 18, 2007
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Thursday condemned Intelligence Committee Democrats for brokering a deal with the White House that would provide retroactive immunity for telephone companies that assisted the Bush administration’s controversial warrantless wiretapping program.

At the second day of confirmation hearings for President Bush’s Attorney General-nominee Michael Mukasey, Leahy warned that “the Intelligence Committee is about to cave on this,” citing pressure from the White House and press reports suggesting the administration had gotten its way.

“ know that it was illegal conduct and that there is no saving grace for the president to say, ‘Well, I was acting with authority,’ ” said Leahy. “Otherwise there wouldn't be so much pressure on us to immunize illegal conduct by either people acting within our government or within the private industry.”

Leahy’s remarks signal that a bipartisan accord to overhaul the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), reached Wednesday by the Intelligence panel’s leaders and the White House, could divide Democrats and hit a roadblock on his panel as well. The Intelligence Committee marks up the bill Thursday afternoon, after which it will be referred to Judiciary, where more Democrats have openly opposed retroactive immunity language.

Read more: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/leahy-intel-panel-about-to-cave-to-white-house-on-surveillance-2007-10-18.html

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Well, I believe Dodd won't be the only Senate Dem to put a hold on FISA...

[JerseygirlCT]

1. Good for him, and good for Dodd

Let's see some more step forward on this!

[CTuttle]

2. Feingold and Whitehouse most certainly object!

Can we do something about DiFi, she seems to be drinking to much Koolaid these days...!!!:banghead:

[eddiedemocrat]

3. illegal conduct !!!

Call the Law , 911, someone in Washington can order the FBI Dept to investigate i hope

[tularetom]

4. Well, he oughta know about caving

What about all those ignored subpoenas for DOJ employees that he had his panties in such a wad about. He caves more than anybody else in the senate and to make it worse he huffs and puffs and turns all pink with rage before he caves. He's a complete invertebrate and I wish he'd just STFU.

[Auntie Bush]

15. Hey! Don't say that about MY senator! n/t

[monktonman]

32. Yeah, take that back, Pats the man!

how about we send Anthrax to your house and see how you like it?
Besides he cant do everything all alone.
He might need some help from YOUR senator.
Go look at his voting record before you talk smack, then get back to
me if you still feel the same.

PS Hi Auntie, nice to see a fellow Vermonter working the boards.

[Auntie Bush]

35. You tell'em monk! Good job well done.

I love Pat Leahy!

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. 
[link:www.democraticunderground.com/forums/rules.html|Click
here] to review the message board rules.

[lyonn]

5. Leahy and Dodd!!!!

Also Leahy said:

"During the hearing, Democrats launched fresh criticism at Mukasey’s interpretation of FISA. After the nominee indicated that Bush was not acting illegally by going beyond that statute in authorizing eavesdropping without court warrants, Leahy called that argument “a loophole big enough to drive a truck .”

[Pastiche423]

6. It is time for DiFi to resign

She and her defense contractor husband have fed off of us enough!

There has got to be a progressive Dem in CA that can take her seat.

[jgraz]

8. Long past time

Sadly, I think she's got her talons in that seat for life.

[Le Taz Hot]

31. She'll be 78 when her Senate seat is up next

in 2012. Cold comfort, I know, but at least there will be an end. Unless, of course, she decides to pull a Strom Thurmond.

[Webster Green]

24. DiFi sucks!

I voted for a dem challenger in the last primary, then voted for the Green candidate in the general. I will never vote for DiFi again.

[dickbearton]

28. Exactly, K&R.

[jgraz]

7. My dream is to get through one newscycle without seeing the words "Democrats" and "cave"

:banghead:

[dickbearton]

29. First, learn how to count.

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. Who are the asshats on the Intelligence Committee?

What are the chances of us unseating them?

[tkmorris]

10. Here

The Dems:


John D. Rockefeller IV, Chairman West Virginia

Dianne Feinstein California

Ron Wyden Oregon

Evan Bayh Indiana

Barbara Mikulski Maryland

Russ Feingold Wisconsin

Bill Nelson Florida

Sheldon Whitehouse Rhode Island

I'd list the Repubs but who cares, they are all idiots.

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. Bill Nelson in Florida is a blue dog.

He's one hiccup from being a Republican. But sometimes he gets senior moments and he thinks he's still the civil rights activist of his youth.

[tkmorris]

13. Yeah, he's my Senator

One of them anyway. Not that you can tell the difference between him and Martinez, the other Repub Senator, most of the time. Kind of depressing really.

[The Backlash Cometh]

16. There has to be another word, than "my,," when dealing with these

situations. Because he's not really, "my Senator." The man is so alienated from my interests. He's "mine," in the same way a tumor, tape worm or cancer, would be "mine." So "My" or "Mine" is completely misleading.

[dickbearton]

30. Exactly, to many so called Democrats...

He is a DINO, just another ignorant, stupid Republican.

[BearSquirrel2]

36. Feingold ?!?!?!

Evan "Bought" I get. Tell me that Russ Feingold voted AGAINST this nonsense!!!

[robinlynne]

14. They tend to vote half and half, then Feinstein breaks the tie by siding with the republicans.

[Devil Dog Dem]

22. We need to primary her!!!

She is terrible!

[Le Taz Hot]

33. Cindy Sheehan was thinking about challenging

her in the primaries and you should have heard the screams and hollers on DU. You'd have thought she committed high treason.

[PSPS]

11. If only there were some realistic way to avoid funding this criminal behavior ourselves on 4/15.

There's always talk about "tax protesting" where a very small minority refuse to pay their taxes. I wish there were a movement that would have a larger effect.

Many people have no choice because of withholding. But there are millions of people who don't pay withholding taxes and, instead, remit everything directly to the IRS.

Perhaps if some enterprising person set up a legally defined escrow or other scheme to collect and hold these taxes in abeyance, this would get the attention of these criminal enablers.

But the sad truth is that it's over and has been for years now. They're all in on it now, and any pretense of contention is merely theater to prop up the image of our "potemkin democracy."

[rodeodance]

17. Jay Rockerfeller has not done anything about Phase II---and now this!

[backscatter712]

18. Why is any Democrat, or any red-blooded American even considering telco immunity?

Those telcos helped the NSA, the FBI, etc in conducting illegal wiretaps of U.S. citizens in violation of the Fourth Amendment.

Give me one goddamned reason why they shouldn't be driven into bankruptcy and liquidation by the judgements paid to those subject to this invasion of privacy.

Give me one damned reason that has nothing to do with illicit money and political backscratching. All of the executives at the telcos should hang.

[Morereason]

19. Time to turn on the heat!

[valerief]

20. Whatever the admin is using to threaten Congress, can't Congress get/do the same back?

Or are they ALL on the same team?

[Le Taz Hot]

34. Your latter conclusion is correct.

n/t

[Devil Dog Dem]

21. Will somebody please primary Feinstein?

SNIP
Not all Democrats on the Judiciary Committee appeared to share Leahy’s concerns. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who sits on both the Judiciary and Intelligence panels, signaled she was likely to support the bipartisan approach.

“At this stage, it is a bipartisan bill,” Feinstein said. “I’m absolutely convinced that the only way we can legislate on this is on a bipartisan basis. This bill so far is bipartisan — that’s good news.”

END SNIP

She is almost as bad is Loserman.

[McCamy Taylor]

23. Tell Dems in Congress "Just say no to special treatment for the Phone Company"

[dardango]

25. Check out The New Democratic Party Mascot

Here it is:





DemocracyInteractive.com - A Real-Time Free Speech Zone for Progressives.

[McCamy Taylor]

26. Angry email sent to every Dem on Intelligence. Thank you email to Leahy.