FISA: Reid Files Bill to Extend Surveillance Law Again

Reid Files Bill to Extend Surveillance Law Again
By Paul Kiel - February 8, 2008, 4:40PM - http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/02/reid_files_bill_to_extend_surv.php


Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) makes a bid to avoid another edition of the administration's surveillance squeeze play. From CQ:

To guard against the expiration of a temporary surveillance law Feb. 16, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., has filed a bill that would extend it for 15 days.

The Senate is expected to pass a six-year bill overhauling the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act on Feb. 12, but that gives lawmakers little time to work out a compromise between the Senate bill and a House-passed version before the Presidents Day recess begins and the temporary law expires.

Reid filed the latest extension Friday “in case we can’t finish the conference negotiations in time,” spokesman Jim Manley said.

Having given in once, the Republicans have vowed not to give in again. So no matter how justified the plea, this dog won't hunt.

Note: Get ready for another round of the GOP's double-talk .......

I sure don't, so why the hell should Harry Reid care about this so much that he keeps having to extend it. Everyone knows that Bushco can spy on people for another year, so there is no urgency.

But Harry Reid not a man of the people....so he will do the corporation's bidding. To hell with the Constitution when AT&T might actually get punished for breaking the law.

Just let this whole thing wither on the vine and let Bush whine about it. No-one gives a crap what the little monster says, anyways.

...don't tell Bush to go to hell on this one.

Bush has no leverage. He's hated by his own party, his approvals are at all-time lows and no one
would blame Harry Reid for coming forward and saying that he's refusing to allow Americans to lose
their rights to privacy.

It's such an easy argument to make. All you need is a copy of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights
and you just stand there.....and read.

If ANY Dem is going along with this now--it is because they are in on the fix.

There is no excuse for allowing this to happen.

is on my vote-out-of-office list. :mad:

And the Rs are always manipulating legislation to place Dems between a rock and a hard spot for choices.

They want to all but say Dems are the terrorist!

call their bluff...America is long tired of this shit.

...(and those can be figurative balls too) who can stand up and laugh
at the Republican suggestion that if Americans don't agree to be spied
upon by their government---that this is kow towing to the terrorists.

Someone needs to stand up and call BULL FUCKING SHIT!

I mean, I'll stand up and say it, for God's sakes, if these politicians
are so spineless!

All you have to do is say, "If you want the terrorists to win, you vote
to allow spying and immunity for the corporations that enabled Bush to
spy on Americans. The terrorists win, if Americans can be spied upon
in the name of "patriotism" and "security"! I call bullshit. I refuse
to go along. I won't be spied upon, and I won't allow fear of Al Queda
to trump the Constituion of the United States. So GO TO HELL with the
fearmongering. Stop insisting that ALL Americans must lose their rights
to be safe! It's bunk. It's revolting. NO SALE!!"

Now...why can't someone just say that? Why is it so damn hard for our
elected officials to stand up and represent the will of the people,
instead of the Fascist wishes of the neocons???

Is that too much to ask that one of them just say that?

Who came up with that number? Let's negotiate that first.

Feingold. Durbin. Boxer.

Please, anyone. Harry Frikkin' Reid is a disaster.

And a chicken shit to boot. He really has no balls in standing up for what's right against this administration. He's impotent and would best serve us all if he stepped down and made way for some patriotic citizen who's willing to uphold the laws of the land.

that Reid is naive enough to think that Bu$h won't spy on Americans regardless of having this bill passed. Pelosi and Reid have already made it clear to Bu$h that they won't hold him accountable for anything so what makes them think he won't take advantage of that on this. Seems clear to me that security be damned this is all about immunity because Bu$h needs protection from the one branch (Judiciary) that he doesn't have complete control of. There are still a few Judges out there with enough integrity not to go along just because Bu$hCo says so. Reid need only announce that the Judiciary bill is the one they will vote on and if the RePukes kill it or Bu$h veto's it, so be it they can do without a law allowing their spying.

and Reagan/Bush did it anyway, by selling US arsenal missiles to terrorists and giving the money to the guys trying to overthrow another country for them.

Anyway, did someone in Congress say they should not pass the Boland Amendment because "regardless of having this bill passed," as you say, they were going to do it anyway? Perhaps, but at least it passed and they could be held to account for the obvious criminality!