Wiretap Compromise in Works

[cal04]

FISA Update May Hinge On Two Separate Votes
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/03/AR2008030302814.html?hpid=topnews

House and Senate Democratic leaders are headed into talks today that they say could lead to a breakthrough on legislation to revamp domestic surveillance powers and grant phone companies some form of immunity for their role in the administration's warrantless wiretapping program after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

A senior House Democratic aide said a bill could be sent to President Bush as early as next week. But significant issues remain, including those surrounding immunity, said Wyndee R. Parker, general counsel of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

(snip)
Aides said House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) has been polling his party's divided caucus the past few days about the immunity issue, with the liberal camp pushing to do nothing and the moderate wing supporting a provision in Senate-passed legislation granting immunity for the telecommunications industry.

Highlighting the party's struggle to heal its internal fractures, today's meetings will involve Democratic staff from the House and Senate Intelligence and Judiciary committees, the House Democratic leadership, and then the House Democratic caucus. The dilemma faced by Democrats is that Republicans and the administration oppose any bill other than the measure passed by the Senate that includes full retroactive immunity for the telecommunications companies.

(snip)
A group of several dozen moderate to conservative House Democrats, known as "Blue Dogs," have pushed Hoyer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to approve the Senate bill. Some aides on Capitol Hill were discussing the potential for the House passing the Senate version but breaking it into two separate votes: one on the portion of the bill that deals with revising FISA provisions and a second on the immunity measure.

[TahitiNut]

1. "the party's struggle to heal its internal fractures"?? Translation ...

Selling out the ordinary working class citizen's interests to the global corporations.

[antigop]

2. and what else is new? n/t

[magellan]

3. Blue Dog Dems need to be neutered. n/t